Alex Meets Alex
by Just Silly Me
Summary: They're both eighteen, they're both named Alex, and the similarities don't stop there. When they're forced to work together, what's going to happen? Well, chaos, to put it lightly... throw in girls and weird friends and Alex Rider is not happy... COMPLETE
1. Prologue

"You're both eighteen. You're both named Alex. And the similarities don't stop there."

The two boys stared at each other in silence while Nessa Roberts smirked in the corner. They stared into each others' eyes- the exact same shade of brown- and tried to find the words to speak.

(A/N: I do not own Alex Rider, Anthony Horowitz does. I do own Nessa Roberts and the other Alex. You'll meet him when I find the time to type the next chapter...)


	2. 1 Eventful Shopping

**1. Eventful Shopping**

As eighteen-year-old Alex Rider reclined in the airplane seat and sipped occasionally at his coke, he decided that there was nothing better than summer holiday. Well, nothing except being able to go visit Jack Starbright in Washington D.C. for a month- and Sabina Pleasure- before returning to his spy work.

It wasn't like Alex wanted to be a spy. If he had his way, he'd go to university like a normal person instead of "working" for the MI6. No one really owned Alex. It was just that his father and uncle had got him all mixed up in this when he as fourteen, and if he was honest with himself, he did happen to be good at it. Alex was a black belt, spoke multiple languages, and very physically skilled. And people didn't suspect teenagers as spies. The very idea was absurd. But that just so happened to be the world that he was caught up in.

Now that Alex was eighteen, he was in charge of himself- with absolutely no clue what to do about it. Spying wasn't easy to give up. As much as he tried to deny it, deep down, it actually was of mild interest to him. That alone was certainly enough to be confusing. Life had proved to be complicated over the last few years. He'd saved the world- literally- countless times. He'd lived a double life long enough to kind of get used to it even though he really didn't care to.

Alex's thoughts were interrupted by a bolt of lightning. He was in a window seat (in second class, but he didn't really care) and was sitting alone. There were plenty of empty seats on this flight. So much for the planet going green. He checked his watch and sighed. There were still three hours to go, and he couldn't sleep. He'd slept in worse conditions before, but for some reason, he couldn't settle down and just relax.

He was too stressed. He deserved this break. Alex had spent too much time and energy doing things that he really didn't care about. It was his turn to decide this time. First, he definitely needed to get some sleep. Soon, he drifted off to the occasional strikes of lightning.

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"Okay, let me get this straight. _You're_ going shopping?"

Eighteen-year-old Alex Meyer smirked at his seventeen-year-old girlfriend Vivie Rivercreek. Not many things could surprise Vivie. That was just the way it was. Alex couldn't help inwardly grinning.

"You look a little busy to be taking Crisee for a walk," Alex pointed out, gesturing to the blanket that she was sewing. Vivie claimed that it had been her summer project and somehow survived both the earthquake and the tornado. "You also need groceries. Why not kill two birds with one stone?"

"Because you shouldn't kill and break the sixth commandment," Vivie quipped.

"You know what I mean." Alex bounced Crisee (he was carrying Vivie's baby half sister in his arms) and grinned. "Don't worry. I'll be coming right back to you."

"Oh, I know, it's just… well, you better not forget about me," Vivie joked.

"Of course not." He shifted Crisee so that he could give Vivie a quick embrace. "All right, if I don't go now, I never will. Later, Viv."

"Stay safe!"

"Right, like that's hard," Alex joked as he left.

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Alex woke up to absolutely horrible weather. Why were they still flying the plane? Didn't they know better? Apparently not. Some announcement came on and told him that they were going to land now. Absolutely fantastic. Now, all he wanted to do was go to bed, get over the jet lag, and then have a holiday.

He sat back in his seat and decided to enjoy these quiet moments while he could- he needed the relaxation.

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"Al-X!" Crisee exclaimed happily as Alex sat her into the child carrier. She was starting to get heavy. He couldn't carry her around anymore.

"Lex," he told the little baby, secretly glad that she could recognize him. They shared the same birthday- he was eighteen years older than her. It gave him a very strong connection to Crisee.

He took out Nessa's shopping list (Nessa was Vivie's cousin and stepmother since her mother's death) and scanned it quickly. A bolt of lightning struck, and Alex noted that the weather was getting nasty. He quickened his pace, "parked" the cart, and scrutinized an apple.

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How had the plane been blown to Texas? Alex could understand Pennsylvania, New York, or even Ohio, but TEXAS? That made absolutely no sense! Alex sighed. So much for relaxation in the east. Instead, he would have to find a hotel in the city until they could get a flight out of here. In the mean time, he was also without his luggage and most of his leftover gadgets from his previous missions.

Well, he could start at the grocery store and work his way up. He was eighteen now. He could handle this. Alex grabbed a cart and went in.

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"What do you think, Crisee?" Alex turned to the cart and nearly had a heart attack. Crisee was missing! Who would kidnap her right under his nose? Alex saw a vaguely familiar figure darting away and pursued him. In his frenzy, he knocked over a blond boy and called an apology over his shoulder. He had no time to waste.

"Hey, get back here, she's mine!"Alex yelled. The figure ignored him, and he forced himself to run harder.

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Alex made a face and rubbed his head. Couldn't that man watch where he was going? The rudeness of Americans nowadays. Did they enjoy messing with him?

"Hey, give her back!" the dark-haired man (Mr. Clumsy, he dubbed him) yelled again, tearing past the aisle in pursuit of a man holding a baby. Was Mr. Clumsy's daughter being kidnapped? Alex inwardly sighed. So much for a break. He certainly wasn't going to let this go. He began running and collided with the victim.

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"I'm sorry, I did it again!" Alex huffed, barely managing to speak. The college student had blond hair and dark brown eyes. He'd seen too much with those eyes- Alex could tell. The other boy reminded Alex of himself. He'd have to catch him later. Right now, he had to save Crisee.

"Wait!" Alex didn't stop running- the other boy simply caught up and kept pace with him. "I want to help!"

"Thanks! Go corner that black-haired dude with the baby! You take left, I'll take right!"

"Sure!"

The two managed to pin the man down. Well, the other boy did more of the pinning down part. Alex was the one who had to grab Crisee before she could get hurt. When Alex saw the kidnapper's face, he froze.

He looked exactly like Aaron Yzcheck, but worse, if that was possible. This man was utterly ruthless, and Alex knew it.

Their gazes met, and then the Aaron-lookalike wrestled himself away from the other boy and was gone- but not before the blond took his picture.

"Thank you so much," Alex managed, still shaken by the experience.

"No problem." He stood up. "Glad to know that your daughter's safe."

"My _daughter_?" Alex couldn't believe his ears. "Is that what you think she is?"

"What else, chopped liver?"

"No, my girlfriend's half sister," Alex explained, soothing Crisee by holding her. "What, do I really look that old?" Alex joked, pretending to look himself over.

"I just thought that you were in your twenties."

"Oh, no, I'm eighteen- but I'll be nineteen in August. Are you a college student?"

"They call it university in England."

"Oh, you're British then?"

"Yeah."

"I see. And how old are you?"

"I'm also eighteen." He gave the camera to Alex. "Keep it."

"No, I really couldn't… hey, don't walk away, I'm talking to you!"

"Look, I came here for a _break_. Can't I get a little time to just relax?" he snapped.

Alex shrugged. "Fine. But at least tell me your name."

"Alex." He scowled "Happy now?"

"Uh, not really."

"Why not?"

Alex sighed. "Because… my name's also Alex."


	3. 2 Telling the Story

(A/N: I'm so sorry for taking forever to upload the second chapter! I was working on other things... but right now, _Alex Meets Alex_ is my priority, so you won't have to wait as long next time- I promise! Thanks for waiting for those of you who were reading in April... I will have long car rides in the next few days. I might even finish the story...)

**2. Telling the Story**

Alex Rider stared at the other Alex in utter disbelief. This boy had nerve! He looked much older than he really was- an image distorted by emotional pain- and thought that he could just order Alex around! What was this guy playing at? Did he really expect Alex to believe his word?

"Hey, I'm just as shocked as you are." Alex (Mr. Clumsy) put the camera back into his hand. It was one of the few things that Alex had had with him on the plane. "How long have you been around?"

"I just got here today. The plane went off course in the storm." Alex wasn't sure why he was telling everything to a total stranger. "I was supposed to go to New York. Now, I'm stuck here until they can ship me back out."

"Only in Texas," Mr. Clumsy muttered under his breath. "Do you have a place to stay?"

"Why do you care?"

"I'm just trying to help. Besides, you could probably stay at Farrior's place with Fisher and me."

Alex made a face. "Farrior and Fisher? What are they, animal hunters?"

"Oh, I call Luke and Carson by their last names. We'll have to figure something out so that everyone can tell us apart. Hey, what's your last name?"

"Rider."

"Okay, then you're Rider and I'm Meyer- problem solved," he decided.

"Hey, I never agreed!" Alex indignantly exclaimed.

"You never disagreed," he pointed out. "Well, do you have a better suggestion?"

"No."

"Then let's go with it."

"Fine," Alex grumbled. This guy was getting on his nerves. But he decided to just live with it.

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"Vivie, I'm home!" Alex called out, letting blond Alex into the house. "Where's Nessa? I need to talk to you guys!"

"Is Vivie your girlfriend?"

"Yeah." Alex forgot everything else when he saw Vivie. "Hey," he greeted her.

"Hey is for horses." She embraced him and immediately glanced at the other Alex. "Hi there, I'm Vivie!" she enthusiastically exclaimed. "You brought a guest over?"

"It's a long story," Alex told her. "This is Alex Rider."

"Great, now what am I going to call you two?" she good-naturedly complained. "Well, at least you two don't look alike."

"Uh, Viv, could you get Nessa?"

"Right. NESSA!" she sang out, then tucked a strand of her auburn hair behind her ear.

"There's no need to shout," Nessa pointed out as she came down. "You brought a visitor over, Alex?" she asked.

"Yeah, about that… we need to tell you something."

"I'm not involved with this," Alex Rider stated, holding his palms up. "I only helped out. I don't want to have to get involved."

"Don't worry about it. Vivie's an expert at this kind of stuff."

Alex Rider scrutinized Vivie. "Really? I am too."

Alex couldn't help wondering what was going on in that guy's head.

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Alex could see that Vivie was… different. She didn't look particularly menacing or threatening, but she'd gone through a lot. She was wise beyond her years. She was also pretty- he could see why the other Alex was attracted to her. She gave him a good first impression.

"I didn't get your name," Nessa pleasantly told Alex. She couldn't be any older than twenty-five. Was she really Vivie's stepmother?

"Alex."

"Well, isn't that funny. You two ran into each other, you're both eighteen, you're both named Alex, and the similarities don't stop there."

"Huh?" both guys asked at the same time.

Nessa smiled. She was plain, with dark brown hair and dark brown eyes. But Alex also could tell that she had a selfless nature- and that her past had also been rough.

"Nessa, are we ever going to talk?"

"Of course. Alex-"

"Which one?" they simultaneously asked. That boy was _annoying_! Alex was getting agitated.

"The blond one. The guest?" Nessa pointed out.

"Hey, I'm a guest too."

"No you're not, you practically live here!" Vivie exclaimed and socked him in the shoulder. Mr. Clumsy winced.

"Ow, Viv, do you have to remind me that you're a black belt on a daily basis?"

"Geez, Alex, do you have to get on my nerves on a daily basis?" Vivie retorted, obviously kidding.

"Wait a minute, you're a black belt?" Alex asked.

"Yeah, I know I look far from it."

"Oh… I'm a black belt too," he explained.

"Well, you certainly don't look like it either. You look so… gentle."

"Whatever." Alex shrugged and looked away. He hadn't chosen this like she evidently had. What made her an expert at the same things as him?

Alex decided to not dwell on it and accepted some of Vivie's homemade cookies instead. He decided that one thing was certain- she was an expert at cookie-making…

***************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Alex ended up telling the whole story, no thanks to Blondie over there. "I turned around and Crisee was gone, so I looked for her. I saw some guy running off, so I chased him and ran Alex over in my mad rush twice. He followed me the second time and helped me to get Crisee back, but the guy got away. And the guy looks exactly like Aaron."

"Who's Aaron?" the other Alex interjected. As much as he told them that he wasn't interested, the questions he asked said otherwise.

"My ex-boyfriend," Nessa explained. "But he's _dead_, so that can't be him."

"Well, that's why I'm slightly freaked out," Alex explained.

"I can understand that. Well, don't stress about it too much. Crisee's safe, you're okay, don't worry about it."

"Are you sure?" Alex skeptically asked.

"Positive. Just let me know if anything else weird happens out of the blue."

"Um, Nessa, I'm not so sure about that," Vivie interjected. "There has to be a reason-"

"I'm telling you, don't worry about it." Nessa stood up., "Relax a little. It's summer vacation. I'm going to go upstairs. Call me if you need anything."

The other Alex turned around to look at him for an explanation.

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Soon, Alex Meyer was dragging Alex over to a bright red car, insisting that he stay with him. Since Alex couldn't come up with a good excuse _not_ to, he just went along with it. He was curious to meet this guy's friends.

"Uh, Rider, Farrior can be a little immature… so I apologize for that in advance."

"He's worse than you?"

"Yeah, definitely. Am I getting on your nerves?"

"Truthfully? Yes."

He fell silent, and Alex stared blankly out the window.

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Alex tried to not be hurt by Alex Rider's stinging remark, but it couldn't be helped. It hurt anyway. Alex knew that he was only there because he had to be. Fine. But what was wrong with him? Why did the other Alex seem to hate him so much?

Alex decided to keep trying to befriend the other boy. He had the feeling that it would be imperative…


	4. 3 The House

**3. The House**

Alex couldn't get out of the car fast enough. As soon as it was parked safely in the driveway, Alex got out and breathed a sigh of relief. The other Alex wasn't far behind him. How had he had the nerve to address him by last name? This whole thing was just stupid and he didn't want any part in this.

The other Alex (Alex needed a better nickname for him) unlocked the door and hollered, "Farrior, Fisher, I'm back!"

A very tall blond entered the room, his light brown eyes curious but reserved. He seemed kind of shy. Alex guessed that he was seventeen since he didn't look like he was quite out of high school yet. He seemed to be the peacemaker. Alex had a fairly first good impression about him.

He was followed by a brown-haired, hazel-eyed boy. There was a mischievous look on his face, and he didn't seem to be very mature, just as the other Alex had forewarned. He also seemed a little spoiled and selfish, but also kind of lovable. They were all pretty good looking, although he hated to admit that the other Alex was the best looking out of all three of them.

"What's with the blond?" the brown-haired one asked.

"Hey, I'm blond too."

"Sorry, Fisher. Meyer, do you want to do the introductions?" immature-brown-haired-guy inquired.

"Sure. Alex Rider, meet Carson Fisher and Luke Farrior. Fisher's the blond; Farrior's the blah-colored-haired one."

"Meyer, you're mean!"

"I know."

Carson rolled his eyes. "Those two are impossible." He held out his hand, and Alex shook it. He couldn't help liking this guy. He was considerate and mature. There was some hurt in his coffee-with-milk eyes, but it wasn't nearly as bad as Alex Meyer's, per say.

Finally, the other two quit arguing, and Alex got a good look at Luke Farrior.

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It was uncanny. One moment, Alex Rider was staring at Luke. The next, both of them stepped back and simultaneously mouthed the word, "Ow!" Alex couldn't help laughing at the confused looks on their faces. The two couldn't be more different.

"Was it your chest too?" Alex Rider asked, giving Luke an odd look.

"Yeah, I got shot right above my heart last year," Luke informed him.

"I was shot by a sniper when I was fourteen," Alex Rider quietly confided. "I got lucky. He was aiming for my heart, but I was moving, so it hit just high enough to keep me alive."

"Why-"

"Farrior, when are you going to learn the meaning of sensitivity?" Carson asked him before he could tread into dangerous waters.

"I know- never," Alex quipped.

"Oh. Sorry," he mumbled.

"Whatever." Alex Rider shifted his position slightly. "So you're the one-"

"-in charge of the loony bin? Yeah."

"Uh, Farrior, can you show him to the guest room?" Alex interjected.

"Right. Rider-"

"It's Alex."

"I can't distinguish between you and Meyer if you want to do that. Come on, just be Rider."

"Fine," he snapped and followed Luke. Alex exchanged glances with Carson.

"Do you think he can handle it?" Alex asked.

"You never know with Farrior," Carson pointed out.

"True."

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Somehow, Luke managed to seriously irk Alex. He had the maturity of a third grader- even worse than Alex Meyer! And yet, they had enough in common to keep Alex from writing him off altogether. Besides, Luke was the host.

"How long are you planning to stick around?" Luke inquired as he opened the door.

"I don't know, does it matter?"

"I was just wondering. It's not like I asked for special reasons."

"Whatever, you're annoying." Alex cursed under his breath for about the millionth time since the stupid plane had landed itself in Fillmore, Texas. Luke looked up immediately.

"Do you mind saying G rated stuff around here?"

"I'll say whatever the-"

"Rider-"

"I told you to not call me that!"

"Yeah, and then you gave me permission to!"

"That doesn't mean that I like it!" And Alex swore yet again.

"How about this? You quit cussing, and I'll quit calling you by last name. Deal?"

"I don't really care if you call me Rider."

"Then why were you so mad about it earlier?"

"I don't know! Leave me alone!"

"Man, what is wrong with you? You freak out at everything I say to you!"

"That's because you're annoying!" Alex snapped at him.

"Man, you sound just like Meyer." Luke smirked at him. "No wonder you two hate me so much."

"You say that so nonchalantly."

"Why shouldn't I?" He nervously twirled a ring- what looked like an engagement ring- and gazed at Alex intently. Was that guy _engaged_? That was freaky- he was way too young. If anything, Alex Meyer was the one who should have that status. Besides, Luke was just plain immature.

"You don't want to mess with me," Alex growled.

"He's sounding more like Meyer every second," Luke remarked under his breath.

"Hey, cut those remarks about me."

"What are you going to do if I don't?"

"Beat you up."

Luke snorted. "Right. Like you could."

"You really shouldn't have said that," Alex seethed. Without a second thought, he went for it.

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"Meyer, I have a really bad feeling about this," Carson uneasily told Alex, who had his gaze focused on the direction where the two had gone. Now, he looked at Carson when he spoke.

"If Farrior uses his brain…"

"Heh, like he ever does."

"You know what I mean. Farrior can occasionally behave himself." When Alex paused, both boys heard someone cussing- definitely not Luke. Alex shut his eyes and grimaced. "Okay, I'm going to eat my words on that one."

"Uh, Meyer… he doesn't like you so much either."

"I don't blame him. I dragged the poor guy into our mess, whether he likes it or not. You know, underneath all that toughness, I think that he's just in need of some time to relax."

Once again, more swearing erupted from the room. Alex sighed. "I didn't mean that cussing is relaxing."

"I know, I know. Do you think that you two are alike?"

"Who, me and Rider? Definitely. I know that he's been through a lot. I can see it in his eyes."

"You do know that your eyes are exactly the same shade of brown, right?"

"Come on, Fisher, I don't look at my own eyes."

"Well, trust me. Your eyes are completely alike. They tell different stories, but the end result's the same- you two were both scarred for life."

Alex was about to make a comment when he heard Luke's scream and things breaking. Without speaking, he and Carson both got up and raced over before things could get completely out of hand.


	5. 4 Eavesdropping

**4. Eavesdropping**

Alex reluctantly followed Alex Meyer back to Vivie's house the next day, actually not too affected by jet lag. He could have stayed behind, but that would mean dealing with Luke Farrior, and he'd choose the other Alex over Luke any day. At least the other Alex didn't ask stupid questions.

"Hey, Alex, I need to talk to Vivie, okay?"

"Is it personal?"

"A little bit…"

"I can wait."

"Thanks." The other Alex shot him a grateful look, then hurried off to a room upstairs. Alex followed him, and when he closed the door, Alex quickly got out his Nintendo (a newer version of the model from four years ago) and listened in.

"Alex, the curse is over," the female voice reminded him- probably Vivie. "Besides, Aaron's dead- and the only Aaron look-alike that we know of is Austin. I don't think that Nessa's using her head."

"I agree on that, Vivie, I know the curse is over…"

"Maybe it isn't over?" she guessed.

"I don't know. I thought that Nessa told you everything."

"Me too. Well, apparently not. Alex, I can sense that something's about to happen. I can't explain it, but I just know…"

"Look, Viv, I know you're stressed out about it, but let's wait until we run into him again, okay?"

She sighed. "Okay. I wonder why Nessa's not doing anything…"

"I know, me too, but let's talk about something else, okay?"

"Okay."

Alex's mind was reeling. What was this curse that Vivie seemed to be afflicted with? Why was Aaron such a big deal if he was only Nessa's ex-boyfriend? Why would Alex Meyer want to keep that a secret from him? Didn't he know that Alex had experience in these matters? Well, he'd come for a vacation, and he wasn't going to get involved this time. He'd learned his lesson from doing that.

He stood up and kept the Nintendo, with no intention on eavesdropping on Vivie and Alex Meyer's private business. Vivie _was_ pretty, with auburn hair and green eyes. But the way she looked at Alex- as if she knew something about him- made him feel extremely uncomfortable.

Well, Alex didn't need to see any romance- it seriously irked him- and he wasn't looking for any. That was final. He was good with everything the way it was- except being stuck here.

"Are you looking for something?" a female voice asked sweetly. Alex turned to see a brown-haired, sapphire-blue-eyed girl. He noticed that her eyes were abnormally large, kind of sad, but also sweet and joyful. What was with these people? What had happened to everyone (besides Luke) that left a haunted look in their eyes? Alex didn't have the answer to that question.

"Uh…"

"You must be Alex Rider. I heard your voice the other day." She smiled pleasantly. "Are you looking for something?"

"No. Um… who exactly are you?"

"Oh, I didn't introduce myself, did I?" She giggled, then quieted at Alex's disapproving gaze. "I'm Lissy Rivercreek- Vivie's sister."

"You two do look alike," he observed.

"No we don't." She rolled her eyes. "Seriously. We're as different as night and day."

Alex decided that he really didn't want to get into an argument with this girl and instead racked his brains. "Whatever. Where's the bathroom?"

"Um, right there… take a right on the first door."

"Thanks." Alex locked himself in the bathroom so that he could take a moment to process what he had just overheard.

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After Alex knew that he'd said enough to catch Alex Rider's interest, he kissed Vivie and left the room. He found Lissy outside the door and asked, "Have you seen Alex?"

"He's in the bathroom."

"Oh, okay." Alex wandered downstairs, where he saw that Nessa was on the phone. He almost walked into the kitchen when her words made him think twice.

"Yes, Alex Rider is here, Mr. Blunt… no, he and Vivie haven't talked yet! He's not getting along with the Alex over here either… I know he's experienced, but that doesn't mean that Vivie will listen to him! I don't know if she cares that he skied down a mountain and got shot by a Scorpia sniper! She doesn't know about Scorpia, Blunt…"

Alex hid himself and made a face. Scorpia? What was Scorpia? And what about Alex Rider? What made him so experienced?

"Yes, Alex Rider may be a teenage spy, but he's getting old. What are you going to do with him…? You don't know? Alan, that's not fair! You _have_ to let him choose what he wants to do…! I thought that you didn't own him! What are you playing at?"

Oh. Alex Rider was a teenage spy. And if Alex had the facts straight, the plane had known that it was going to Texas all along. Alex knew that MI6 was a British intelligence agency. But why was a teenager associated with it?

"Look, Alan, that doesn't make sense. You know what? I'm not going to help you. You're on your own. Call me back when you decide to give Alex his rights. I could use his help, but I'm not going to force him to help Vivie… no, call me back _later_! Goodbye!"

Alex stood up slowly and exhaled. That was what had hurt Alex Rider. He felt like he understood the other boy now. He must have gone through a lot. Alex couldn't imagine the pain that Alex must have gone through doing those things…

"Okay, Alexander Meyer-"

"It's just Alex. Alex Roderick." Alex Rider had arrived at some point, and Alex just hadn't noticed. No wonder he made such a good spy.

"Whatever. Why were you eavesdropping?"

"I was just coming down to the kitchen. I didn't know that Nessa was on the phone with some MI6 agent."

"Whatever. I heard you and Vivie talking.'

"You eavesdropped on me?"

"Pretty much."

Alex sighed. Now he'd have to explain- although he had intentionally planned it this way. But he certainly hadn't planned on Nessa helping him to understand.

"Well, that means that you have to tell me about yourself too, Rider."

To Alex's surprise, Alex Rider acknowledged his last name like it wasn't a big deal. "Fine. But you have to tell me about the curse. Deal?"

"Deal." Alex paused. "Do you want to go out for ice-cream while we're at it? My treat."

"What are we, five?"

"Do you want to or not?"

Alex Rider shrugged. "I don't feel like I have a choice."

"I'm not going to shove sugar down your throat."

"Don't even think about it, Meyer. Spy skills come in handy."

"Hmph. I never said that my past was easy either."

"It's not the curse?"

"It's Vivie's curse. It has nothing to do with me."

"Then why are your eyes exactly like mine?"

"You're both eighteen. You're both named Alex. And the similarities don't stop there."

The two boys stared at each other in silence while Nessa Roberts smirked in the corner. They stared into each others' eyes- the exact same shade of brown- and tried to find the words to speak. Alex broke the silence.

"Let's get some ice-cream."

"Yes, let's." Alex Rider agreed. He had an athlete's body- Alex didn't play sports except occasional lacrosse- and he admired the other Alex for that. But for now, it was ice-cream time.


	6. 5 IceCream

(A/N: Sorry if it's not the most interesting chapter...)

**5. Ice-Cream**

The ice-cream shop wasn't far from the Rivercreek house, so the wait wasn't long. After they had ordered, both boys sat down at a booth. Alex Meyer broke the silence.

"Who's going first?"

"Let's flip a coin," Alex suggested, handing him one that happened to be from Bangladesh. "I pick tails."

"Then I get to flip it."

Alex liked the fact that Alex Meyer wasn't going to just let anyone walk on him. Maybe they really were more alike than he thought. They both had tans (although Alex Meyer's seemed to be lighter) and had learned to get their way through compromise. He put the coin in the other boy's hand. Alex Meyer flipped it.

"Heads," he complained, then gave Alex his coin back. "I can't promise that all of this information is valid, but it's pretty close, and it's all over anyway, so it's not much to worry about."

"You're never too young to die." Alex Meyer's dark eyes looked confused when Alex said this. "I learned that when I was fourteen on my first mission. I'm guessing that it was the same way for Vivie."

"Well, I only know what Vivie told me, but you know that guy that we saw at the store the other day?"

"You were saying something about some guy named Aaron."

"Right, Angela's half-brother… you haven't met her yet, have you?"

"No."

"Oh… she's Farrior's girlfriend."

"Are they engaged?"

"_Engaged_? You must have seen Farrior's ring."

"I can't believe that he's our age. He acts like a third grader."

"Oh, I know." Alex Meyer rolled his eyes. "Angela's actually pretty down-to-Earth. She's nothing like Farrior. You'll probably meet her while you're around. Anyway, Angela aside, Austin Yzcheck, Angela's father, was a sperm donor. Angela's biological mother died from the first curse- the earthquake- and he married Vivie's mom. Well, Vivie's mom died last fall when the tornado came through, and then Austin and Nessa ended up together."

"Isn't Nessa twenty-six?"

"Yeah- that's the creepy part. Austin's around fifty now."

"What happened to Vivie's dad?"

"Aaron killed him intentionally in a car crash, trying to get to Vivie. Angela and Aaron used to have an older sister, but Austin and Angela's mom thought that she couldn't have children and adopted Aaron. Well, Austin didn't know that he had fathered Aaron until he turned out to be Austin's spitting image and he did some DNA testing…"

"They always told me that I was my father's spitting image," Alex remarked.

"Speaking of your parents…"

"I lived with my uncle. It's a long story."

"Would that technically make you an orphan?"

"I'm technically an adult."

"You know what I mean."

"Yeah, I'm an orphan."

"Same here."

So they really were more alike than they had first thought. The similarities were uncanny. Alex was admittedly surprised.

Anyway, Aaron's mom's grandfather- not Austin's- had some grudge against Vivie's great-grandfather and made the curse so that it would afflict Fillmore in the new millennium, when his great-grandson could take over the world. Obviously, Vivie managed to prevent that, or we wouldn't be here right now."

"It's nice to know that I haven't been single-handedly saving the world."

"You'll have to explain that later. I still haven't explained the curse."

"Go ahead, Harry Potter."

Alex Meyer ignored the sarcasm in Alex's voice. "Basically, Vivie was supposed to get a premonition before the curse hit and try to save as many people as possible while Aaron tried to kill as many people as possible. There were eight different weather disasters, and after the last one, Aaron kidnapped Crisee and left a note telling us that he had her.

"Fillmore High was blown away to pieces, and Aaron hid Crisee in what was left of the school. He gave us an hour- needless to say, we did find her- and he nearly shot Vivie, but Nessa shot him in the leg instead. He killed himself instead of Vivie, and we thought that was the end. I guess that it's not."

"Was Aaron the one that shot Luke?"

"Yeah. Angela, Farrior, and I were trying to get him caught by the police after the seventh curse. Well, he did get captured- but he broke out after the tornado. Well, we nearly lost him… but he's obviously back and as obnoxious and annoying as ever."

"You sound like a father when you say that."

"Hmph. Farrior's my best friend, don't get me wrong, but you could not pay me to be related to him."

"What about your past, Alex?" It was weird to be calling someone else by his name, but he might as well get used to it- if Blunt succeeded in somehow controlling Alex, he'd be here for a while.

Alex Meyer winced. "Right. Well, my parents were fairly young when they married- I'd say about our age. I don't think that they were planning on having a kid, but some old lady next door volunteered to take care of me, so they didn't abort me. But she died after a few years, which meant that my parents were stuck with me.

"I learned to play the violin starting at age for. Music has always been my passion, and it was all that kept me sane as a child. My father abused me- and occasionally did the same to my mother. He was also an alcoholic. Well, they started cheating on each other openly with another couple. They went to jail for child abuse, and that was when I met my future stepsister.

"Vivie's dad put me in the Brownes' house- he was a police officer. Jane- my stepsister- got me into drugs and alcohol, and I was hooked. I wouldn't have stopped if a friend hadn't gotten the better of me. Her gang beat him and me up, and Vivie's dad got there before they killed me.

"Well, when I got back, my parents were out of jail, and my mom had moved in with Jane's dad. Jane lied and said that I had hit her, and I got sent to live out on the streets as punishment. I made friends to only be hurt by them countless times. I turned into a cocky, self-centered jerk. I saw an adult friend killed in a car crash. But the turning point was last summer.

"Jane was angry. She killed all of our parents and made it look like I had murdered them, so I grabbed my violin and came over here. I was living in Littlebrook then, so the curse didn't affect me. Aaron and Jane had actually been in a relationship, and when they broke up, he kidnapped me to take her place. I basically became his slave.

"I couldn't escape him since he threatened to take my violin away if I didn't follow his orders and spy on Vivie. Well, I didn't think through that, and so I was trapped that way for a good long time. After the fourth curse, he sent me to kill her. I actually held the knife to her throat and everything. But then I decided to not kill her. Nessa caught me, and Aaron took my violin. I finally got it back the day Luke was shot." Alex Meyer sighed. "Even that doesn't cover all of it. That's just some of the facts."

Alex heard the bell chime as the door opened and he looked up. Alex Meyer did too, and they both saw the same figure from the day before, one hand in his pocket. Alex Meyer nudged him, and Alex shoved him right back- gently, of course. When the man saw them, he took off.

"Not again," Alex Meyer groaned.

"What are you waiting for? Go!"

Alex didn't know why he was doing this. Maybe it was because Alex Meyer had just poured his entire heart out to him. Maybe it was because he had finally met his match. Whatever it was kept Alex from abandoning the other boy, even though he hated doing this. He couldn't just stand back and watch.

So much for a little break…


	7. 6 Police

(A/N: Wow, I haven't updated in a long time... enjoy :P)

**6. Police**

The man got a head start and he was fast, but so were the Alexes, who pursued him immediately. He disappeared into the crowd, and without thinking, Alex grabbed Alex Rider and hoisted him up into the air. "Do you see him?"

"By the fruit stand!" He got back down, and they took off yet again, knocking over other people in their exuberance. They apologized but didn't stop. Alex Rider was obviously in better shape than Alex, who was out of breath before long. Only his worry for Vivie and the fact that Alex Rider was there kept him going.

Alex Rider got to the man first and grabbed his arm. "What are you doing, kid?" the Aaron-lookalike growled.

"I think you know."

"Look, kid, you're not involved in this. Get out of my way before you get me caught."

"Hm, looks like another world leader wannabe."

"I'm not just a wannabe." He smiled maliciously. "I know what I'm doing- and no punk kid's going to stop me."

"I'm not a punk kid, so I'll be able to stop you."

"Well, well, let's just see." Without warning, he struck, and Alex Rider fell back. Before Alex could think, he had thrown himself at the man and knocked him to the ground. Just as he did that, he heard a police car and froze.

"What are you boys doing? You're attacking the weatherman?" he inquired puzzled. The Alexes exchanged glances. "Mr. Yzcheck, are you alright?"

"Call me Andrew." Alex gasped soundlessly. His name also started with an A (like Aaron) and had the very rare last name. But when had he become the weatherman? Surely Nessa and Vivie would have noticed…

Andrew Yzcheck glared at the two boys. "I was minding my own business, and they attacked me for no good reason. That's all I can say."

The policeman scowled. "I'll take care of it. You two, come with me."

Alex's heart was pounding. He hadn't been to Littlebrook, his hometown, in almost two years. But what if he was still wanted for Jane's crime?

It looked like Alex Rider had noticed Alex's anxiety, since he whispered, "I can get us out of this," before they were handcuffed and forced to stay silent.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"You've got to listen to me!" Alex pleaded with the officer. "I'm from the MI6! I'm a foreigner! You've got to let me explain!"

"Hey, he didn't say the Miranda rights, did he?"

"What are the Miranda rights?"

"Well, basically, they can't keep us in here if they didn't read them to us… something like that."

"This is stupid. I would get the MI6 to prosecute them- and I should! We almost had him!"

"Yeah, almost. Almost isn't close enough," Alex Meyer pointed out. "Besides, we still don't know what he's doing."

Finally, an officer came in. "Which one of you two was claiming to be from MI6?"

"That would be the blond one," Alex quipped lightly. "Seriously, I called their office just now when I got my one phone call. You better let me out unless you want them on you."

"There's no way you're from MI6. You're a college student!"

How shallow was this man? Could he not even see the _pain_ reflected in Alex's eyes? Sure, as Vivie had said, Alex looked gentle, but that was why Ian Rider had put him in karate, wasn't it? To show that looks weren't everything?

"You better take me seriously." Alex rolled his eyes. He was used to doing this now. "I'm a black belt. Get these things off me if you like your life."

In Alex's four years as a spy, he'd still never killed anyone. That wasn't about to change now, but he was sorely tempted to do the opposite. He decided that he would be as diplomatic about this as possible.

Fortunately, the guard was smart enough to follow Alex's orders, and he immediately turned around and broke a bench into two equal halves. Alex Meyer looked just as astonished as the officer.

"How-"

"It just might be something that I picked up after running from snipers, walking on tight ropes, saving the world- it just might have helped."

The officer scowled. "Fine. I'll take care of your friend. I'll have someone else look you up."

"Wait, he didn't do anything, he was helping-"

"He's wanted for murder, Mr. MI6 agent. I suggest that you leave me to it."

"But he's innocent!" Alex yelled at him.

"The court will be the judge of that."

Alex swore. Why did he care so much about Alex Meyer anyway? The ice-cream shop scene must have changed everything. He kind of understood the other boy now.

"Alex, let it go," Alex Meyer quietly ordered. "I'll do my best to prove my own innocence."

"Wait a minute- you're both named Alex?"

"Always have been," Alex joked tensely.

"Hmph. Well, Mr. Alex-the-MI6-agent, go call them and tell them that we're letting you out. You come with me."

"I'm not going anywhere until Meyer's name is cleared," Alex firmly stated.

"Meyer? I thought that your last name was Browne."

Alex Meyer rolled his eyes. "That was the hang-up? Well, I'm not Alex Browne, I'm Alex Meyer."

He reached for his wallet but couldn't get it with his chained hands. Alex helped him get it, and Alex Meyer whispered his thanks. Alex wondered what was going through Alex Meyer's head…

*************************************************************************

Alex silently complained about Jane (without cursing her memory) and wondered why it had to come down to this. Why did his life seem to just be one mess after the other? Why couldn't he get away from his past?

Alex Rider took out his identification- a driver's license from Littlebrook and his senior year ID card- useless, but now revived to serve some importance. He was grateful beyond words that he had left it there.

"How do we know that you didn't change your name?"

"I have all my ID cards since middle school," Alex simply stated. In Alex's Volcom-brand wallet, Alex Rider found the plastic cards and handed them to the officer, who studied them.

"You're blond in all of your pictures except your seventh and junior year."

"I bleached my hair," Alex elucidated, "but that's still my face. You can't deny that."

"What if I don't believe you?"

"First of all, you'll be in trouble with the MI6," Alex Rider reminded him. "Let's not forget them."

"Besides, officer, you can't do that, you didn't read the Miranda rights to us."

He scowled. "Oh, fine, run along, you two." Alex was going to leave when Alex Rider stopped him.

"Clear his name from the murder. It was Jane Browne, not Alex."

"You really expect me to believe that?"

"Yeah."

The officer scowled yet again. "Man, you're too nosy to live."

"I've heard that about ten times already in my life, and I'm still here." Alex Rider shrugged. "Are you going to fix that or not?"

The officer stared at Alex Rider, then turned and left. The two were left alone.


	8. 7 Kicked Out

(A/N: I didn't name boy boths Alex and do the whole John thing on purpose... strange...)

**7. Kicked Out**

Alex Meyer was as white as a ghost- the guy really had been worried. His dark brown eyes were miserable, and Alex could understand exactly how he felt- he'd been there before. Now, Alex Meyer looked directly into Alex's eyes. "Thanks."

"It wasn't a problem."

"Rider, I thought that you hated me," Alex Meyer cautiously told him.

"Oh, I did."

"Then what changed?"

"I guess it's because you poured your entire heart out to me. You seemed so human. Yes, you annoy me, but I've been kind of freeloading off you…"

"You're the one who just saved both of our tails out there."

"Blame the MI6."

"Speaking of the MI6, you need to tell me _your_ story."

Alex shrugged. "We made a deal. We've got time. I might as well."

*************************************************************************

"I guess I could blame my father- John Rider, and my uncle, Ian Rider, for the whole thing. My dad was a spy- not a teenage spy, but one of the best. He actually liked spying- I personally don't, but he did."

"Wait a minute… your dad's name is John?"

"Yeah, why?"

"So is Vivie's."

Alex Rider scowled. "Whatever. Anyway, my uncle was a spy as well, but apparently wasn't as good as his brother. Since my father was top-notch, he was sent to be a double agent for MI6 for an organization called Scorpia. It was rising then, and I've managed to mostly do away with it now, but they're still a threat. Anyway, sometime during all this, he met my mother, who was a nurse at one of the hospitals he stayed in. Of course, they got to know each other.

"My mom detested my father's job. I have no doubt that she would be annoyed now if she knew what I've been up to. Of course, Alan Blunt hated that my father had fallen in love. He wasn't afraid for his own life- most agents aren't- but he would be for somebody that he loved, and Blunt knew it. Well, it was too bad, since they obviously ended up together anyway.

"Since spies usually don't have friends- they can't when they have to lie all the time- the wedding was really small and simple. When my mom found out that I was on the way, my dad decided that he had had enough of all this spying business and that he wanted to live a normal life. That kind of got him killed in the end.

"My father's best friend and godfather- he's dead now, and good riddance- was supposed to get him back safely. Well, my dad managed to get back, alright- but then his best friend got into a boatload of trouble for screwing up so much, and that was when he crossed over to the dark side. He became a double agent too- and to prove his loyalty to Scorpia, he killed my parents."

Alex Rider paused for a moment, and Alex waited patiently. He quickly continued.

"I was supposed to have been on the plane. The bomb was placed in my father's luggage, and my parents died instantly. After their death- I don't think that I was even a year old- my uncle took me in and raised me.

"I knew that he wasn't my father- but in all those years, he lied to me, saying that he was a banker. One night, police officers showed up and told me- and my housekeeper, Jack Starbright, that I was going to visit in Washington D.C.- that he had died in a car crash, that if he had been wearing a seatbelt, he wouldn't have died.

"I saw through the lie. He was always so careful- he insisted that I always wore a seatbelt, and he always checked to make sure I did, too. When I investigated the business, the MI6 told me that I either could help them or go to an orphanage. Well, that pretty much left me with no choice, so I finished the mission that had killed my uncle, and it kind of went downhill from there."

So they had _both_ been used and hurt at a young age, both in their own ways. Their environments had ensured that- they'd been doomed from the start. Now, their similarities were banning them together- and they were becoming a team.

If Alex thought about them, Alex Rider and Vivie were actually pretty alike- both of their fathers were named John, both of them hadn't chosen to be heroes, both of them had had the weight of the entire world on their shoulders, and they had narrowly escaped with their lives and left indelible scars on their lives and hearts.

"Hey, Mr. MI6 Agent… is this Jane Browne character dead?"

"She died from the curse," Alex confirmed.

"You're still going to have to go to court."

"Hey, leave him alone, would you? This sucks. We've got things to do."

The officer let out a huff. "You are so lucky that you're with the MI6. I'll clear his name," he growled. "Now go."

"I never thought that the MI6 would help me out. Looks like all that fun managed to help me out in the end," Alex Rider muttered under his breath.

"I am _so_ going to hurt Nessa for this," Alex growled. "She could have told me that you were coming! I mean, we don't need to get arrested for attacking the weatherman, do we?"

"Why Nessa?"

"Well, she was on the phone with your MI6 agent, wasn't she? I don't know about you, but I think that she knows something. That's so stupid." Alex sighed and tried to remember the way back to the ice-cream shop. "Aren't you technically a legal adult now? Can't you choose to do whatever you want?"

"Technically, I can, and I don't like being sued, but… well, duty calls."

Alex nodded, kind of understanding what he meant. Alex hadn't wanted to see Aaron again, but he had gone to help Vivie out of love. (He hadn't proposed to Vivie yet since he wanted to wait until they were ready for that level of commitment.) Angela and Luke, on the other hand, were the rash ones.

"Rider… I don't usually get involved in these things… and I hate to say this, but I'm going to need your help."

"We'll talk about it after we talk to Nessa."

"Sure… why do you think that your MI6 guy wants you to partner with Vivie?"

"I don't know… the curse?"

"It sounds like it." Alex sighed. "Look, I'm really sorry that you got dragged into this mess- as you've seen, it's not real pretty, and… well, thanks for your help so far. I wish that I could repay you for your kindness."

"Just prank-call the MI6 and tell them that I committed suicide, and I'll call it even."

"I'll think about it," Alex promised. "Man, I'm glad that I brought Fisher a red car. Where is it?"

"Maybe that one with the black-haired girl trying to break into it?"

"Oh, it's just Angela- Farrior's fiancé," Alex realized. "Angela!"

She turned around, her pretty dark eyes saucy and joyful. Her black hair was amazingly long, but it was neat. She had very little makeup on- just enough to accentuate her eyes. Her smile was wide and her expression slightly shocked.

"Alex! It's you!" She giggled slightly. "And who's your friend?"


	9. 8 Explanation

**8. Explanation**

Angela- supposedly Vivie's best friend- was definitely the opposite of Vivie. Even with the slight trace of hurt in her dark eyes (what was with these people?) she seemed to be a very energetic person. She was shallower than Vivie, taller, and bolder. She was wearing a ring- the ring that engaged her to Luke. Alex couldn't help disliking her.

"Alex Rider," he stiffly informed her. "My flight was blown here in the storm."

"Oh, so you're the Alex Rider I missed out on meeting yesterday! I'm Angela- you may or may not have heard Luke talk about me. You spent the night at his place, right?"

"Yeah, his bedroom is really big."

"Okay, now that the introductions are over, why were you trying to break into Fisher's car?"

"I left a library book in there- well, Luke did. I tried to get him to read it, but Luke would never read for fun. So I wanted to turn it in for him before he forgot about it and it stayed here for the rest of his life. Oh yeah, and Luke's in my car."

"Great, have fun with Farrior. I'm going to your place, so later." Alex Meyer tapped the right side of the car as a reminder to Alex that in the States, people drove on the left side of the road. When they were both in the car and it was running, he asked, "Have you been to America before?"

"On a mission once when I was fourteen."

"Good grief, how many places have you been? I've never left Texas!"

"Oh, I've been all over." Alex couldn't help grinning before he began telling Alex Meyer where he had been.

****************************************************************************************************************************************************

Alex's mind was reeling by the time he pulled up in front of Vivie's house. To him (although he didn't tell Alex Rider this), the other boy's adventures were interesting to listen to. In fact, Alex wouldn't have minded being able to do some of those things. But his tone had been bitter, and Alex wasn't stupid enough to say anything the other boy would hate him for.

With his own set of keys, (Austin, Nessa, and Vivie knew that he had them in his possession) Alex let them into the house. "Viv? Nessa? We need to talk!"

Nessa and Vivie were sitting in the kitchen. Vivie looked confused, but she seemed to forget that for a moment as she got up to give Alex a hug. He smiled and sat next to Alex Rider and her. He could feel Alex Rider's fury, and evidently, so could Nessa. A sheepish look dawned on her face as she studied them. "What's up?"

"What's up? Why didn't you tell us that Andrew Yzcheck is the weatherman and to not attack him publicly?" Alex demanded.

"The weatherman?"

"Come on, Nessa, you _always_ watch the weather channel. Don't play dumb."

"Maybe he does Littlebrook's weather."

"What time does the news usually come on?"

"Six? Why?" Nessa was stumped by Alex Rider's question.

"It's six now. Let's take a look."

Sure enough, when Alex Rider turned the TV on, the dreaded face filled the screen. A collective gasp could be heard in the room.

"That's him?" Vivie weakly asked.

Nessa nodded, and Alex thought that Vivie was going to be sick. She certainly did look a little green. Alex squeezed her shoulders quickly, then glared at Nessa to demand an explanation.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

To Alex, Vivie seemed just as shocked about this mission as he was. Vivie seemed to be a nice girl- a little dramatic, a fast talker, but an overall sweet person. He definitely thought better of her than Angela. He was pretty good at first impressions now.

Honestly, he was annoyed with Nessa, instead of Alex Meyer. At least Alex hadn't ever used him. Anything that Alex had ever done to help him had all been of his own free will.

"Well, now that you've found out... I guess that I better tell you. Alan Blunt called me, saying that there was a Scorpia agent here in Fillmore that's trying to do something. He knew about Vivie and the curse... Alex, ask Alex to fill you in... anyway, he thought that he would ask Vivie for help."

"I think it's odd that he's a weatherman," Vivie interjected, her green eyes slightly narrowed.

"Who, Andrew Yzcheck?" Alex Meyer asked.

"Of course... but I thought that the curse was laid through Aaron's mother," Vivie added thoughtfully, seeming slightly worried.

"It was- and if I'm not wrong, that's Aaron's younger twin."

"Sheesh, Angela has a lot of siblings that she never knew about," Vivie remarked.

"What about me?" Angela asked, walking into the room. "Hey, Luke isn't over here, is he? He refused to follow me to the library."

"I can see that," Vivie told her, grinning like she knew things about Luke. Alex wondered why that was. "We were talking about your siblings... and no, I haven't seen him today."

"Farrior is Vivie's ex-boyfriend," Alex Meyer whispered in Alex's ear. He nodded, understanding now.

How could Angela do something like that to someone who was her best friend? Alex couldn't help disliking her even more- even though he had never liked Angela in the first place. But that she would actually do that- that really bothered him. And yet she was the sister of the villain that had ruined her best friend's life. That must be a strange connection to have. He couldn't help but feel bad for her.

****************************************************************************************************************************************************

"Anyway, Alan... Mr. Blunt wanted to send Alex over here since I insisted that I absolutely would not ask Vivie to do more than she's already done. When he found out that Alex was going to Washington D. C., he put Alex on a plane that was coming here, hoping that I would get Vivie to do the same."

"Figures, I always manage to find trouble," Alex Rider muttered under his breath, then cursed. That habit was starting to seriously annoy Alex.

"I never said that you had to help, Alex. The same goes for you, Vivie."

"I have a question- how did he know to kidnap Crisee from me?" Alex asked.

"I really don't know."

"Well, this is just great," Alex Rider fumed. "You say it like I have a choice, but I really don't. I'll help."

"What about you, Viv?" Nessa asked. Vivie bit her lip.

"I guess... but what are we supposed to do?"

"Figure out what he's up to."

"Am I allowed to help?" Alex asked.

"_Allowed_ to? Do you _want_ to help?" Nessa inquired.

"I'm going wherever Vivie goes- and Rider's a pretty cool guy."

"Thanks, Meyer." Alex Rider rolled his eyes. He seemed annoyed. Alex noted that.

"Well, I guess you can, if you insist."

"Good." Alex smiled and rubbed Vivie's shoulders. He could tell that she was miffed- Vivie was just like him.

"Viv, are you okay?"

"I just... I just need time to think," she quietly told him, her green eyes displaying her worry blatantly on her face.

"We have tomorrow. Get a little rest, Viv."

She nodded, and Alex hoped fervently that everything would be okay.


	10. 9 Digging Deep

**9. Digging Deep**

"Vivie?"

"Oh, hey. Alex R, right? Do you mind if I call you that?"

"If you have to, but if Meyer's not in the room, I'd prefer that you just call me Alex."

"Can do." Vivie was sitting in the kitchen, and Alex Meyer had said that he would wait for Alex and Vivie to talk. Alex had wanted to talk to her to make sure that they knew each other for who they really were. Besides, Alex Meyer may have told Alex everything, but Vivie didn't really know much about Alex. Besides, she seemed like the kind of girl that he could be friends with just friends not anything more. Alex wasn't going to take Vivie away from Alex Meyer. Besides, Alex kind of liked another girl- Sabina Pleasure. But it had been a while since they had seen each other. He would have seen her this month if he wasn't stuck here.

"Meyer said that you wanted to talk to me?" Alex wasn't exactly interested in this conversation- he was just going along with it because it was what Vivie wanted. It was a plus for him- he didn't have to deal with the initiation.

"Well, you're the only teenager that I know of that's had the weight of the entire world on your shoulders... I'm assuming that Alex told you that."

"Well, yes, but I'm not sure how that extends to the entire world."

Alex must have forgotten to explain. "Well, basically, if I hadn't gotten in the way. Aaron would have probably taken over the entire world by now. It's like... there isn't another person like me out there that could stop him. It was a connection made by our great-grandfathers. It as a connection I had no control of. It was something chosen before my birth."

"That sounds like something I would say."

She looked him in the eyes. "Nessa said that your dad was a spy before his death."

"Yeah. What about it?"

"Well, Nessa told me, but I want to hear it from _you_."

"From me?"

"I happen to care about point of view." She smirked, but not meanly. "I hate it when people don't ask me for my side of the story."

"Who doesn't?"

"Oh, I know- just stating the truth."

Vivie was wise- both from experience and naturally. Alex respected that and decided that Vivie was an exception- and equal- and that he could treat her as such.

****************************************************************************************************************************************************

Alex made a face as he crouched near the living room to eavesdrop. Okay, he trusted Alex Rider- how could he not, after all he had done? But he was good looking. (Yes, Alex said that in a completely straight way.) He just didn't want Alex Rider stealing her from him- not that he would on purpose. But Alex had the right to be overly cautious- he'd lost her once, and he could always lose her again.

He wasn't really listening to what they were saying- he was just watching their body gestures. Although Alex could tell that Vivie was being cautious, he couldn't help worrying. Then again, as warm of a person that Vivie was, she was extremely closed. She was careful to not get used by other people.

He studied Vivie intently, who fiddled with her auburn hair (more red than brown) and occasionally nodded. Her back was slightly towards him, and so was Alex Rider's. They seemed to be looking each other in the eyes. He inwardly groaned. Why exactly was he bothering with this? Sheesh.

Alex sighed and knew that eavesdropping was wrong and to quit it, getting up and wondering what Aaron was up to. He turned the TV on and turned it to the news channel.

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"Did Alex tell you that my father's name was also John?"

"Yeah- and it looks like all three of us are orphans."

"I wasn't surprised."

"Surprised by what?"

"Oh, I guessed that you disliked the whole spy thing as soon as I saw the look on your face. I hate the 'like father like son' saying. Look at Alex's dad- he was an alcoholic and screwed up his life, but even though Alex tried drugs, he managed to quit the habit."

Alex wouldn't have ever guessed that Alex Meyer would do something like that- it sounded more like something that Luke would do. But that guy was full of surprises. It was easy to misjudge him.

"Vivie... I really don't want to talk about it," he told her stonily, not wanting to remember the past.

"Oh, okay- whatever goes for you. Where's the other Alex?"

"Somewhere in the house." Alex thought about the name- Vivie. He had never heard the name before. Maybe it was a nickname. Vivie seemed to have noticed.

"A penny for your thoughts." She put a copper coin in his hand.

"Huh?"

"It's a saying. What's on your mind?"

"Oh, I was just wondering... what does your name mean?"

Vivie groaned. "Everyone always manages to ask that question."

"Oh, it isn't just me?"

Vivie chuckled. "Nah, I get that from everyone. My mom had a thing about strange names. My real name is Vivianne."

"Come again?"

"Vivian and Anne combined, I suppose. At any rate, I started going by Vivie when I figured out that things obviously weren't working." She rolled her eyes. "I've gotten used to it. The good thing about having a name like that is that no one shares it."

"Tell me about it," Alex muttered under his breath. The fact that he and Alex Meyer shared first names still bothered him. Sure, their first name was common, but Alex couldn't help wondering if there was a reason behind it.

"No big deal... Alex?" Alex saw that Alex Meyer as asleep on the couch. He let Vivie wake him up. He as a little slow to waking- his brown eyes opened very slowly, and Alex could see the mature side to Alex Meyer.

"Viv? Rider? What happened?"

"That's what we're asking _you_."

****************************************************************************************************************************************************

Alex didn't remember falling asleep. All he could recall was watching the weather- and being enraptured by Andrew Yzcheck's charisma. Something in the back of his mind told him otherwise, but Alex got a good vibe from this guy. He also happened to know the week's weather- rather stormy and rainy.

"I was just watching the news and I guess I fell asleep. This Andrew Yzcheck character sure does a good job."

Vivie and Alex Rider exchanged glances, and Alex vaguely wondered why. Vivie was the one who spoke.

"Um, Alex, he tried to kidnap Crisee, remember?"

"When?"

"Two days ago. He's Aaron's twin, remember? Have you lost your mind?"

"Just some of my memory," Alex mumbled. "He seems like such a nice guy."

"What's up with Alex?" he heard Lissy ask. He hadn't seen her enter.

"I don't know- it looks to me like he's hypnotized," Alex Rider observed.

"I can hear you," Alex grumbled.

"I don't care. There's something wrong with you, and it's got something to do with you watching the weather channel. Come on."

Alex Rider hauled Alex to his feet and dragged him. He had no choice to follow along.


	11. 10 Antidote

**10. Antidote**

"NESSA!" Vivie yelled, pounding on the master bedroom door. A head poked out, but it certainly wasn't Nessa's since he was a male. Alex guessed that he was Austin Yzcheck. He really did look like Andrew- he was brown-eyed, and his jet-black hair was shaggy, although short, while Andrew's was definitely quite long. There was a pleasant and kind look on his face, while Andrew's was menacing and ruthless. Yet, the fact that the two were related was undeniable.

"Where's the fire, Vivie?"

"I'll explain it to you later. Where's Nessa?"

"With Crisee- who knows what they're doing."

"Well, thanks for the hint."

"Who's the new guy? He kind of looks like Carson."

"Yeah, but my eyes are darker," Alex noted, not minding being compared to the younger (and more mature) boy. "I'm Alex Rider- I'm not sure if Nessa's mentioned me."

"Of course she has. It's a pleasure to have you working with my daughter."

Alex shot a confused look at Vivie. "I thought that he was your stepfather."

"Oh, he is, but it's easier not going with steps. I've gotten used to have new parents."

"Oh..." Alex remembered how Ian Rider hated being called uncle, so Alex referred to him as his father's brother. Americans were strange- especially this crew.

"Austin, is she in Crisee's room?"

"Yeah. Interrupt if you have to, I'm sure she'll understand."

"Thanks, Austin!" Alex and Vivie lugged Alex Meyer after them since he seemed to be in some sort of trance. Okay, what was going on in that boy's mind?

*************************************************************************

Alex was still tired. He hadn't slept well- in fact, he had had that stupid nightmare again. His head buzzed and ached. Was this a sign? Did all of this mean something?

It was hard for Alex to pay attention, and it took a while for him to realize that Alex Rider and Vivie were dragging him. He must be going mental or something. His mind, although he wasn't too coherent, was messed up. That was strange.

"Nessa!" Vivie exclaimed, bursting into Crisee's room. "Help!"

"Where's the fire?" she calmly asked.

"Urgh, not you too," Vivie sighed. "Something's wrong with Alex, Nessa, and he got like that after watching the weather channel. Do you have any idea what's happening?"

"I'm right here, Viv," Alex piped up as she and Alex Rider released him.

"Physically, maybe, but your mind's somewhere over the rainbow."

"Over the rainbow?" Alex Rider inquired, obviously not used to Vivie's strange quirks yet.

"Oh, that basically means that I don't know. Anyway, Nessa, he's acting like he's hypnotized or something. Help us!" she pleaded.

"I can hear you," Alex mumbled.

"I don't care!" Vivie snapped in agitation. "You be quiet!"

"Sorry." Alex couldn't help letting out a sigh. What was wrong with him? This was kind of frightening.

"Don't apologize, just stand there and shush!"

Alex bit his lip in worry. Was she angry with him? Was she teasing? Was she just venting on him? Having a high-maintenance girlfriend was certainly not an easy thing.

"Vivie, calm down and breathe a little, you're scaring me- and Crisee."

"And _you're_ using bad grammar."

"Vivie, now is not the appropriate time to have an English debate."

"I know- my apologies. Nessa... what's this little idea of yours?"

"Well, a number of those Tree Frog Extracts bottles have gone missing recently, so maybe Andrew Yzcheck stole them."

"Andrew Yzcheck the weatherman?"

"Yes, Alex- now shut your mouth and keep it shut before I have to shut it for you."

Sheesh- what was up with Vivie? It was probably the whole thing of saving the world again. He knew that she hated being stressed.

"This really _is_ serious," Nessa murmured.

"Yeah, because I would totally joke about this kind of stuff. Come on, do we even own a bottle?"

"Well, someone broke in yesterday and jacked the pantry supply, but they missed one." Nessa pulled out a bottle and plopped it into Alex's hand. "Drink it."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alex wasn't going to lie- the contents of the bottle smelled nasalizing. The stench penetrated the room, and Crisee didn't seem to like it much, bursting into tears as Alex Meyer unscrewed the lid. Out of curiosity, Alex had to ask a question.

"Okay, what _is_ that?" he gasped.

"Vivie, would you like to do the honors?"

"Certainly. Well, they were the cure for the seventh curse. Aaron left a ton of bottles in his house and captured his older half sister, Angelina, and tried to find Nessa to get rid of her. Well, Angelina refused to tell him, so he handcuffed her and held her hostage. The seventh curse was metal burning flesh, and of course, Angelina was hurt, so he put some of that stuff on her. When Luke and Angela went over to her house, where Aaron had been keeping her, they took the bottles back to Nessa and tested them out on me too since I ended up getting burned taking off Alex's watch. Since it worked, it's been the assumed cure for unnatural ailments."

"They did manage to get Aaron in jail for the summer as well- that was when Luke was shot."

"Right." Alex had forgotten about the fact that he and Luke were alike in that way. Why were all these people so like him? It was uncanny.

"Nessa, are you sure that that stuff is safe to drink?" Vivie inquired, making a face but managing to look pretty as she did so. Vivie was kind of dramatic and had strange wit. Alex enjoyed cracking jokes himself, but it was difficult to find the right time to do so around these people.

"I did research. They had lab mice drink it for no good reason and it came right out the other end. Come on, Vivie, I would never poison Alex."

"Speaking of Meyer," Alex piped up, glancing at him cautiously, "I'm not liking the expression on his face." Alex Meyer seemed to be seeing things that didn't exist, judging from the vacant, haunted look in those dark eyes that were way too like his. Okay, brown eyes were common, but still- creepy. What were the chances of two guys the same age having the same name, same shade of eye color, and level of emotional stress from the past that haunted them in the present? That definitely was more than a little freaky.

"Alex?" Vivie asked, seeming to be panicking. As introverted as Alex could tell that Vivie was, she certainly was dramatic. He wasn't quite used to that, but he didn't dislike it.

"Gah," he murmured and began to fall backwards. Vivie hurried to catch him with Alex's help. Even if she was a black belt, extra reflexes came in handy, and Alex knew it. Vivie shot him a thankful smile as Alex Meyer's eyes glazed over and then flickered shut involuntarily.

"Thanks."

"No problem. Want to lug him to a bed or something?"

"Right here," Nessa told them as she set Crisee down. Alex couldn't help worrying if Alex Meyer would be okay...


	12. 11 Hallucinating

**11. Hallucinating**

Fists slammed repeatedly into his body, no matter how hard he tried to dodge them. He couldn't fight back- he didn't know why- but something in the back of his mind told him that if he fought back, it would just make things worse. He couldn't physically feel the pain brought with all the punches, of enough brute strength to be fatal, but instead it was the emotional pain associated with it that cut like daggers into his heart, slicing it open just on the surface. He knew that there would be more to come, and sure enough, he was right. One final punch sent him reeling into unconsciousness, the images fading out along with the sound of police sirens.

He winced as he stepped forward, onto the street, and into the way. Now that he knew the outcome, he tried to make his feet stop walking but found that he couldn't. Instead, he could only watch in horror as he was blasted off his feet and onto the sidewalk, knowing that the concrete had slammed into his flesh and left scratches. Despite the physical pain that he should be feeling, he staggered to his feet, intoxicated by his emotions. Almost drunkenly, he took a piece of paper from the dead man's pocket, read it quickly, then hid it and started running as a flash caught his eye. But he refused to stop, and all colors and images blurred together faster and faster as he went, then faded back into a blood red house.

As he unlocked the doors of the house (not a home- a home was a warm and inviting place) he knew what he was going to find but still had to turn the doorknob. The smell, recreated by his memory of the day, was nauseating. It wasn't the first time he had smelled this, and it wouldn't be the last. He stared down at the mangled bodies for a moment, then grabbed his violin case from his room and jumped out the window- the police were closing in. People never listened to him- he wasn't going to stand around and get thrown in jail. When he ran to his father's house, he discovered the same scene and took off running, slamming the door behind him and running towards that border- the border that he had never dared to cross before.

His street smarts and inner instincts were telling him that this was a bad idea- and so was the back of his mind. But he couldn't change the direction of his feet. He just kept running, kind of and kind of not sure what exactly he was running from. He hesitated slightly when he managed to find the border, then decided that he was being stupid and ran right over. He hadn't seen anyone in front of him, but he rammed into something- someone- when he crossed. After a game of attempting to step around him and failing, the man's mouth moved, forming fatal words, and grabbed him roughly before tying him up and towing him away. The night only seemed to grow darker the further he went.

After that, everything sped up. Details were impossible to comprehend, flying past as a blur of mixed colors and other things. It slowed down enough to allow him to see a familiar female face- and the pain on it.

"No," he moaned, reaching out an arm feebly and trying to catch her, but she danced away mockingly, sauntering to a familiar blond-haired boy. "No, don't, don't leave me!" he cried out in anguish, stretching his arms out in vain. He couldn't ever get what he wanted, could he? Was it too much to ask for a little happiness in this miserable life? Apparently, that was so for him- the life he had led only proved it.

He thrashed and flailed, fighting himself and his emotions to no avail. He wanted to give up. He wanted to die. But even that satisfaction was denied to him.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"What's wrong with Meyer?" Alex inquired, confused by the other boy's strange behavior. He lifted a hand, murmuring incoherently. Then his hand dropped again, and Alex decided that he'd probably be okay if he was still alive.

"I think that the medicine's making him hallucinate a little, that's all. That stuff does seem a little strong."

"Nessa, did he drink the entire _bottle_?" Vivie demanded, taking the bottle from Alex Meyer's hand. Alex made a face. How had he drunk all that stuff? It was utterly disgusting to him.

"Well, it was full when I gave it to him, and he'd never waste finite resources." Nessa seemed to understand and identify with Alex Meyer very well. Alex wondered why that was.

Vivie felt his forehead worriedly. "Nessa, I have a bad feeling about this."

"Calm down, Vivie," Nessa serenely told her, her dark eyes nonchalant. The way that she said it was almost insensitive, but Alex could kind of understand what she meant. She cared, but she wasn't going to stress over it- a smart decision.

"Nessa, should we call everyone we know and tell them to keep their TVs off?" Vivie suggested. "We can't broadcast it to the whole town, but it would help if we kept our people out of it..."

"Good idea. I wonder how he did it- hypnotizing... I'll have to look into it. I might need you two to try to find his base."

"Huh?" they both asked at the same time, prompting shy and reluctant smiles from both of them. Vivie was easy to connect with- Alex couldn't deny that. If he had to work with someone, at least it as an equal that wasn't over-confident, intelligent, and knew exactly what she was doing.

"Once we figure out what he's doing, we do need to kind of stop him," Nessa pointed out. "I'd prefer it if it was you two that did that."

"But Alex-" Vivie protested.

"Vivie, he's conked out right now. The guy's not going to be of any use." Alex liked that Nessa talked to them like equals and didn't order them around, even if it had kind of seemed that way in the very beginning. "Look, you don't have to go today. Just don't wait too long, okay?"

Vivie sighed. "Okay. Are you up for this, Alex?"

"I don't think that I have a choice," he admitted with a sigh.

"Yeah, I know. I'm sorry that you had to be dragged into this."

"Don't be- it wasn't your fault." As Vivie reassured him, the figure on the couch moved, and all three of them immediately crowded around.

*************************************************************************

"Why am I lying on a couch?" Alex groaned, sitting up. Three anxious faces surrounded him. "Um, hey, guys. What's up?"

"Andrew Yzcheck," Vivie reminded him.

"Oh, the guy that tried to kidnap Crisee?"

"I guess that it worked," Nessa decided, grinning at him. Alex was confused.

"What worked?"

"That Tree Frog stuff, whatever it was. It smelled nasty." Alex Rider made a face to punctuate that statement. "We don't do things like that back in England."

"Sure you don't." Alex couldn't help smirking. "Will somebody please tell me what's going on?"

"I guess that he doesn't have any memory of it..." Vivie murmured.

"Yeah, or of anything else, for that matter. Well, I had some pretty bad dreams... more like hallucinations..."

"That was it." Nessa grinned. "Well, you remember Crisee getting kidnapped, correct?"

"How could I not? That's where I met Rider."

Nessa shook her head. "It's like nothing happened."

"Yeah, for you. I'd like to be in the loop here." Alex pointed out.

"Vivie, will you-"

"Of course." She smiled. "Here we go."


	13. 12 A Man's Charm

(A/N: I love how Alex Rider can't get along with Luke... anyway, to the next chapter!)

**12. A Man's Charm**

It was late by the time they got home, (well, Alex's temporary home and Alex Meyer's normal home) but the other two were still up. Alex had never seen Luke so flustered. Then again, Luke didn't seem to be the type of person that freaked out easily.

"Meyer, Rider, Fisher's got this weird look in his eyes, and I don't know what to do with him!" Luke wailed like a little child. Alex was reminded that Luke had been very spoiled in his earlier years.

"Was he watching the weather channel?" Alex Meyer thought to inquire as Alex walked over to where Carson was on the couch. Yup, that seemed to be the case.

"He's got the same look on his face like you had, Meyer. The TV's still on, don't look at it."

"I watched it and nothing happened," Luke murmured, his expression puzzled. Alex couldn't see his eyes- he was wearing sunglasses. Suddenly, Alex realized how they could do this.

"Meyer, his sunglasses."

"What about them?"

"They're probably why he was able to watch but keep his sanity?"

"Oh, I was thinking that it was because Farrior's about the densest person I know, but that works too."

"Not funny, Meyer." Luke punched his best friend. "I wasn't really listening or watching- just somewhat."

"Well, then you sit down and watch it!" Alex yelled at him, losing his temper.

"Why me?" Luke demanded. "Why not you?"

"If Meyer or I watch, the only cure is to drink those Tree Frog Bottles, and it causes you to hallucinate. Well, Meyer and I don't have picture perfect pasts like you do, so you get the job," Alex retorted, seizing him by the shoulders and attempting to lug him to the couch. If a fight broke out here, it could get pretty ugly pretty fast.

"Get your hands off me, Rider." Luke broke free, but only because Alex hadn't been really holding him down. "I'll do it- but I do have things that I can hallucinate about," he snapped.

"That's just one thing," Alex pointed out. "Just do it."

Luke scowled at Alex- the hostility between them was pretty obvious- and watched the screen. Alex and Alex Meyer faced Luke, watching to see if he moved at all. Luke fidgeted nervously, but other than that, he didn't seem to be making any movement. It looked as if the sunglasses were working.

"Let me see that," Alex Meyer demanded, lugged Luke off the couch, and put them on. Why couldn't Alex and Luke get along like that? He didn't care- he just wanted this to be over so that he could set things straight with MI6 back home- things like the fact that he wasn't going to go on any of their stupid missions anymore unless he wanted to...

*************************************************************************

To Alex, it was amusing how Luke and Alex Rider obviously couldn't get along. He couldn't help it- Luke antagonized and brought out the worst in everyone. Part of his, willingness to experiment with the sunglasses was to see what those two would do when they were stuck in a room together- as long as they didn't kill each other, of course.

Of course, Luke's shades were top brand. Alex made a face and focused on the screen. He heard the words slower than Andrew's mouth moved, and the words were very deliberate. "You can trust me." For some reason, Alex thought that he saw a subliminal message that said, "Trust me," every few seconds. But as soon as he blinked, Andrew's image was back on the screen. It was all very confusing. Alex looked away and took the shades off. To his amazement, Alex Rider and Luke had refrained from completely killing each other.

"Is it just me, or were there subliminal messages?"

"I know I saw them," Luke confirmed. "And the way he was saying, 'You can trust me,' and asking the viewers to look into his eyes... but wouldn't someone realize what was going on after it was over?"

"I didn't even remember anything afterwards," Alex confessed.

"Trust me, Meyer, he had you. You were talking about him like he was some kind of superhero or something until we knocked your senses back into you."

"Good to know that I lost my sanity," Alex acknowledged with a grin. "Well, I think that it makes sense- he's going to get what he wants done through putting subliminal messages on his show. It makes sense how sunglasses would filter that- it's a weather thing- and so was the curse."

"That's all fine and good, Meyer, but there's still one tiny flaw with your little statement there," Alex Rider contradicted.

"What?"

"We still don't know what his plan is."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alex knew that he had caught Alex Meyer- the look on his face said it all. Of course, Alex didn't know the answer either, but he had a point, and he knew it. Okay, Alex Meyer hadn't done anything too stupid to him yet, but he was still annoyed with this whole business. He couldn't help it- he was infuriated, and he had the vague indication that Alex Meyer had purposely stuck Luke with him to see what would happen. Well, Alex hadn't killed Luke yet- take that, Alex Meyer. The boy was pretty devious- so was he, of course.

"Good point. I guess that we'll just have to find his place and infiltrate it. Farrior, do you want to help?" The smile playing at Alex Meyer's lips only confirmed Alex's suspicion- he liked seeing them fight.

"Meyer, do you want this mission to succeed?"

"Yeah..."

"Well, then I don't suggest bringing Farrior along."

"Hey, I'll come along if I want to."

"Of course you would, you spoiled brat."

"Okay, calm down, you two. Let's at least talk to the girls about it, okay?"

*************************************************************************

"Fine," they both snapped, looking as if they were going to jinx each other but decided against it. Those two were so amusing to watch. Alex Rider was taking some of the heat for Alex- not that Alex was using him, of course. After being used himself, Alex refused to inflict the same pain on any other human being.

"Oh man, you two are utterly impossible." Alex shook his head. "Never mind that- I'm going to bed." When neither of them moved, Alex bolted away, went to his room, and tried to listen for some action.

"You know, I think that Meyer's trying to get us to kill each other," Luke remarked. Alex smirked. That boy was finally using his brain- as dangerous as that was.

"You think?" Alex Rider snapped.

"I'd like to think that I do."

"I'm not dealing with you. Good night."

"Wait, what should I do with Fisher?"

"Turn off the TV and let him sleep? Oh yeah, and did I mention that I would enjoy my rest too?"

"Sorry- I've got it."

There was silence for a moment, then quiet laughter. "Sorry about the immaturity of this conversation," Luke apologized.

"Great to know that you are- but I'm not."

Alex grinned to himself as they laughed again. By some miracle, those two were getting along. He could sleep now.


	14. 13 Argument and Hostility

**13. Argument and Hostility**

When Alex stumbled to the table, both of the other boys were already sitting there and eating. Luke seemed to be making the conversation- he seemed to be the extroverted one out of the bunch. Alex Meyer, on the other hand, noticed Alex's entrance.

"Morning, Rider. Why don't you help yourself to breakfast?"

"I don't need your help," Alex pleasantly retorted, causing both of the other guys to laugh. He discovered otherwise when he turned the tap on and a tank seemed to explode, dousing him with water. At least this was one of Luke's shirts. He could have fun with the laundry. But Alex certainly was _not _amused- not at all.

"You were saying?" Luke inquired easily while Alex attempted to shut the water off. Alex glared at him. Alex Meyer had been smart enough to actually get up and help. When the water was finally shut off, Alex turned around and thanked Alex Meyer before lashing out.

"You rigged that on purpose!" Alex indignantly exclaimed.

"I did not! The look on your face was absolutely priceless, Rider, I just had to say it."

Alex cussed. The other two exchanged glances- Alex Meyer a warning one, Luke a let-me-have-my-fun sort of plead.

"Farrior..."

"Sorry," Luke mumbled.

Alex Meyer sighed. "Okay, that's it. Farrior, you are _not_ going to help us, and that is final! Man, you two are so annoying!"

"What? But I want to go!" Luke whined.

"Farrior, you've gotten everything that you ever wanted to in life. Now do us and yourself a favor- bug off. Someone's got to watch Fisher's back."

"I thought that you said it was up to Ange."

"Argh, Farrior, you aggravate me!" Alex Meyer yelled in exasperation.

"Is this where I say, 'Right back at you?'"

"No!" both of them snapped at the same time. Alex Meyer had apparently decided to relent.

"Fine. Farrior, we'll go ask Angela. But _she_ gets the final word. Deal?"

"Meyer!" Alex complained.

"Just go with it." Alex Meyer winked. "Trust me."

Since Alex didn't really have another choice, he did.

*************************************************************************

"No- absolutely not."

"Aw, please?" Luke whined in his best little-kid voice. Alex had been victim to it himself plenty of times- he certainly knew it when he heard it.

"I said _no_, Luke. They can handle it. There's no point in putting yourself in unnecessary danger."

"Aw, why do they get to do it?"

"Luke," she drawled out, smiling coyly. "I'm asking you nicely- very nicely- to behave. Please, for me?"

"Ehh..." he mumbled, obviously well persuaded. "Oh, fine- but only because I love you more than anything else in the world."

Alex couldn't help gagging. Ah, those two were in love, but did they really have to show it that blatantly? It went to show that putting two extroverts together was dangerous. Alex and Vivie had never had that problem.

"I hate to interrupt you guys," Alex sarcastically interjected, "but would you guys mind telling me where Vivie is?"

"There's no need for that, Alex, I'm already here." Vivie was as beautiful as ever with her auburn hair and sweet smile. She was dressed in a turquoise jacket with half-sleeves and jeans. Alex hoped that he didn't look too shabby in his attire. "What did I miss?"

"Nothing of importance- just Ange's seductiveness," Luke quipped. Angela's jaw dropped.

"You did not just go there!"

"Face it, Ange- I did, and there's nothing that you can do about it."

"Do you two have to flirt in my kitchen?" Vivie groaned, giving Alex her reserved, calm smile that was just too cute.

"It's my kitchen too," Angela pointed out. "Besides you shouldn't be in here- you've got other things to do." As soon as she leaned in to kiss Luke, all three of them were out the door fairly quickly.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Dang it, what are we doing?" Vivie complained when they made it downtown that night.

"Shouldn't we find the weather station?" Alex suggested.

"That would be great if I could find it."

"You have no sense of direction, Vivie."

"Shush, Alex." She rolled her eyes. "If you wanted a human GPS, you should have brought Lissy along."

"What's the weather station called again?" Alex inquired, taking a good look around.

"WTKM," Vivie replied quickly.

"You would remember that little detail." Alex Meyer chuckled in amusement.

"You little- that's not funny!"

"Sure it is, Viv- but I love you for it."

"Yeah, and you call Farrior and Angela sick," Alex coughed, suddenly spying the four letters. "I think I found it- but it really doesn't look like a weather station. It looks more like a house..."

"You're telling me," Vivie mockingly grumbled. "Do you really think that's it?"

*************************************************************************

Alex Rider was right- that was the weather station's headquarters. A huge sign with Andrew's face was plastered to the front of it- it was unmistakable. Alex could see how like Aaron he really was- it was amazing, but not too surprisingly. He really hadn't expected any less from a relative of Aaron's.

"It's got to be it- it's fairly new," Alex pointed out.

"Well, what if we're wrong?" Alex Rider asked.

"Uh, then I guess we're wrong. We've got to deal with this as soon as possible- so how are we going to break in? It's not like we can just walk into the house... weather station... whatever," Vivie mused.

"Give me a moment." Alex Rider fumbled in his pockets, and a grin lit up his face moments later. "Zit cream is great."

"Zit cream? Why would you need zit cream, Rider? You have a really clear face."

"This isn't zit cream."

"Then why did you just call it zit cream?" Vivie pointed out.

"It burns through metal," Alex Rider explained. "It's very helpful, but I don't have a whole lot left. I've used it sparingly in the last four years. It won't be a problem."

"Are you sure, Rider? We can go with paper clips and pen lead."

"Who knows what we'll have to use this for?" Alex Rider shrugged like it didn't really matter to him. "Let's check if he's lurking around first."

The three of them crept to the window, but the blinds were shut. "This sucks," Alex complained.

"Wait." Alex Rider was looking for something again. When he pulled out a Nintendo, Alex truthfully thought that the guy had lost his mind. He decided to quit questioning Alex Rider and let him do whatever he needed to- he seemed to know what he was doing...


	15. 14 The Weather Station

**14. The Weather Station**

Alex Meyer and Vivie probably thought that Alex had gone loony, but of course, Alex knew exactly what he was doing. He couldn't suppress a grin as he booted the device up and inserted in the new cartridge that Smithers back in England had asked him to try out when he got the chance. Knowing Smithers, this would work- it wasn't the same Nintendo from when he was fourteen, it was better and had even better functions. It was almost enough to make him consider becoming a full-time spy- almost.

"It's a gadget that will let us see into the room," Alex explained. He liked how the gadget was smaller than the gadget was smaller than the previous model- he could carry it around.

"Sheesh, man, what would we do without you?" Alex Meyer whistled.

"Tell that to the world- maybe they'll appreciate me then." Alex rolled his eyes and studied the screen. "He's in the back of the house. We can go in."

"Viv, this is where we do the paper clip trick."

"This house looks really old..." Vivie remarked. "It's so easy to break into them that it's not even funny."

"Yeah, I know," Alex Meyer agreed. He fished out a paper clip and handed it to Vivie. Alex decided to see if he could find the other cartridge that he was supposed to test- the magnifier. If he had the facts straight, he would need it.

*************************************************************************

"How many paper clips did you bring, Alex?"

"Enough- nothing to worry about." He watched her from behind. "Can you see?"

"Not very well."

Alex fished out his cell phone, which gave off a weak beam of light. Vivie grinned her thanks, and after breaking three paper clips, the latch clicked. She turned the doorknob, and the door opened. "Sweet."

"Rider, _now_ what are you doing?"

"Well, if there are subliminal messages in the tape like you guys have been saying, then we're going to have to make sure of it, aren't we?"

"Without destroying anything, right?"

"I'm not stupid, Meyer." This time, Alex understood his biting sarcasm and wasn't intimidated by it. Instead, he chuckled. "He's probably got today's tape somewhere. There's got to be a way to get all that black stuff out and watch, well, look at it frame by frame. If that works out, we can take it down to the station and get him checked out."

Alex had to admire the plan. "It sounds good to me. What do you think, Viv?"

"I love it. Let's go."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The room was messy- not an organized mess, just a complete and total soup of junk. It was dark, and Alex made sure that the volume was off as he pressed buttons, trying to locate what he was looking for. He checked the object locater function, which pointed him in the direction of a room that some human being (probably Andrew) was close to. They'd have to be careful.

"You guys wore black, right?" Alex asked, trying to not be reminded of the time she had worn black when he was fourteen. But the all-black thing _was_ a good idea- and thankfully, he had remembered to borrow (well, borrow without permission) Luke's clothes.

"Affirmative," Alex Meyer replied. "Viv too."

"The room's the second on the right. Someone's in the room next door, so we need to be really quiet."

"Got it." They continued their journey down the hallway.

*************************************************************************

"Dude, Tree Frog Bottles," Alex recognized, grabbing a couple and jamming them into the pockets of his pants. Alex Rider and Vivie copied his example as they headed into what appeared to be the broadcasting room.

"How do we know which tape was today's?" Vivie wondered out loud, pawing quietly through everything.

"Are there any labels?"

"No... wow, he's got a lot of tapes. I wonder how long he's been getting away with this. Isn't there more than one weather channel?"

"Good point, Viv... Rider, what are you doing?"

"I'm just counting the tapes... there's got to be at least fifty..."

"He's been on TV for two months and we never noticed?" Vivie shrieked. Alex clamped a hand over her mouth.

"_Vivie!_"

"Crap, sorry." She grinned sheepishly. "Well, we might as well just take one..."

"Wait, guys, I might be able to find today's," Alex Rider piped up, running the device over a tape. "This one's from May... one of the messages is, 'I'm the better weatherman.' Egotistical much?"

"Just find today's tape!" Alex hissed.

"Relax- I'm on it."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

There were definitely subliminal messages- the Nintendo was picking up all the text, and as he scrolled past the screens, he saw the different messages- "You can trust me," "I'm always right," "This is the only reliable channel," and et cetera. As he progressed through, the messages became more suspicious- "You don't have to listen to authority," "There's nothing wrong with murder," "After me, you're the most important person in the world." But it didn't explain what he was trying to do.

"I don't see a plan developing here- he's just putting everyone under a spell to make them think he's great or something."

"Where's tomorrow's tape? Can we jack that one?"

"I'd love to if we could find it... how do you think he gets the weather right?"

"He can influence it." Both guys turned in surprise to look at Vivie. "He's just like Aaron. He could make it snow tomorrow easily. That's how he can pre-record the tape. Ever since he took over, he's probably been controlling the weather to what's been recorded on the tape. Whatever the other guy is forecasting is probably wrong, so no one will watch him anymore- that's how he's getting everyone to watch and trust him. And since Texas weather is basically unpredictable anyway... the fact that he's been a hundred percent accurate so far has been drawing people in."

"Um, Vivie, that's great, but how do you know that?" Alex asked.

*************************************************************************

Vivie shrugged innocently at Alex Rider's question. "Texas weather has always been impossible. I typed his name in last night and did a little research. It looks like he's about to hit the big time- we have to stop him, since they're debuting him for New York tomorrow."

"You would be a nerd and figure that out," Alex teased. "Rider, have you found tomorrow's tape?"

Alex Rider cursed, and Vivie immediately turned around. It could get really ugly here- Alex knew that much.

"Do you mind?" she testily hissed.

"Don't tell me what to do. I'll curse if I want to." As if to irk her, he did it again.

"Vivie-"

"No, Alex. I'm sorry, but I did ask you nicely."

"Guys, now is _not_ the time to fight!" Alex interjected.

"Fine- I'll leave. You two men go ahead and do whatever you need to. I'm not dealing with this!"

Personally, Alex thought that she was overreacting but knew better than to say so. Antagonizing Vivie was a suicidal move- every one that knew Vivie knew that much. But at the same time, Alex really didn't want her to open that door.

"Viv-"

"Shut it, Alex." He saw why he was getting antsy when the door opened- Andrew Yzcheck stood there. He grabbed Vivie and would have grabbed Alex next, but Alex Rider seized him, threw him through the window, grabbed something, and was out of there and right behind Alex as he ran away.


	16. 15 Running

**15. Running**

Okay, so Alex's little stunt hadn't been the most brilliant idea in the world- Vivie wasn't pretty when she was angry. It wasn't even a big deal- she had definitely overreacted. When the door had opened, Alex knew what he had to do- at least save one of them. That was why he had thrown Alex Meyer though the window, feet first. Of course, Alex had good aim and cold throw really hard- and the cry of agony that Alex Meyer uttered only confirmed that. He also knew that a fight would brew if he left Alex Meyer in the room, and there was nothing that they could do about Vivie now- Andrew had gotten her, so they might as well save their own tails. He risked capture for a few seconds stealing the tape (he had managed to find it) but managed to get away safely. Alex Meyer had freed up a lot of glass for him, so his way out was pretty easy. He heard a female's scream once and caught up to Alex Meyer quickly.

"Meyer-"

"Where are we going to _hide_, Rider?" he hissed.

Alex took a quick look around, then wordlessly grabbed Alex Meyer and dragged him behind a building and shoved him into a tree hole, then got in after him. "How's this?"

"I just hope that there aren't any bugs in here, I'm allergic."

"Are you... mad at me?" Alex had never asked that question before- never had to an equal. He'd worked by himself most of the time. He could only remember asking that question to Jack- and it was awkward having to say it now.

"Not now." Alex Meyer winced. "I'll yell at you after I make sure that I didn't get killed by the glass."

*************************************************************************

Alex made a face and pulled out another glass shard. His feet had taken the brunt of the damage, and Alex Rider's stunts hadn't helped, only allowing the glass to cut further into the flesh. Running had hurt a lot- and he'd be bleeding for a while. He wasn't going anywhere this messed up. He just didn't want to yell at Alex Rider- but he certainly was mad at him.

When Alex decided that enough was enough, he took a moment to control himself by breathing deeply, then spat out the first four words that came to mind. "What were you thinking?"

"I am deeply sorry, Meyer. I don't know why I said that to Vivie. I didn't think she'd go to that extreme."

"She goes to dire heights, Rider, it's the way Vivie is." Alex sighed. "But I could have opened the window instead of getting thrown through it."

"I know, but I barely had time to get away with the tape. But I really am sorry, Meyer."

Alex shrugged. "I know that you didn't mean it... did you get tomorrow's tape?"

"Yeah... you're not mad that I didn't try to fight and get Vivie back?"

"Well, I'm not happy about it, but I certainly do understand. Hopefully, we can get her back. I'm sure that if Vivie was your girlfriend, you might have tried to get her back. Besides, Vivie can take care of herself... I think..."

"That's good... but Meyer, I am still so, so sorry."

"I know, Rider. Just don't ever throw me through another window."

"Hmph, I'd be pretty mad if someone threw _me_ through a window."

"Don't I know it."

"Then why aren't you angry?"

"Because you saved my tail- and it _was_ an accident. It's pretty rational to act that way in a situation, in my own opinion."

"I'm glad that you're so forgiving, but... what about Vivie?"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Vivie?" Alex Meyer inquired. "I can't speak for Viv, but she's got to be the most forgiving person that I have ever met."

"Yeah, but... then why is it so easy to make her angry?"

Alex Meyer smirked. "As much as Vivie tries to deny it, she's a drama queen. I've heard her act, and she really puts her heart into it. But she always forgives- makes her easy to use, but she always forgives."

"You're not using her, are you, Meyer?"

"Of course not. How could I do that when people have used me so many times?"

"Right," Alex mumbled, having forgotten that detail. "Sorry, I know that that was a stupid question."

"It's okay- just don't take advantage of my kindness."

"Of course not. Why would I do that when people have used me so many times?"

"Oh, duh." Alex Meyer grinned sheepishly and checked his feet. He had taken his shoes off, and glass was piled in a neat stack to his right. "Do you think we're safe now?"

"I guess so... Meyer, can you walk?"

"I don't know, I don't want to cut my feet again."

"Here, borrow my shoes." Alex began tying his laces.

"No, why?"

"Because it's my fault that you're feet are hurt in the first place."

"That's nonsense, Rider!" It's my fault that you're even here!"

"Hey, it's my world too. If I don't save it, who will if Vivie's not around?"

"Uh..."

"That's what I thought. Look, Meyer, I might actually be starting to like spying now. I'm still figuring things out. This is just one of those things."

"Urgh!" Alex Meyer grumbled. "You win. Give me those." He grabbed the shoes and pulled them on. "You won't mind if I get a little blood on these, will you?"

"I'll jack Farrior's shoes- it's not like he's going to notice. Can you wear those?"

"Looks like we're the same size." After checking to make sure that the coast was clear, Alex Meyer pushed himself out of the hole, and this time it was Alex who followed.

*************************************************************************

Walking to Vivie's house was not fun- but Alex managed to endure the pain. At least Alex Rider's shoes helped. Lissy wasn't happy to hear that her sister had been captured- not that Alex blamed her. As much as Alex knew that Lissy liked to "be involved," she was keeping out of this. Three people on the mission was certainly enough already- more was not always merrier.

Luke had spent the day with Angela, and of course, that meant that he could give them a ride back. Angela seemed uncomfortable hearing about yet another sibling of hers, and Alex didn't exactly blame her. He could tell that Alex Rider disliked Angela- but he decided to not get involved. There was definitely more than enough drama in his life at the moment.

"Hello, Earth to Meyer." Alex was sitting in the front seat, (Alex Rider refused to be near Luke for more than a few seconds in case he killed him) and he had spaced out for a moment. "Meyer, are you okay?"

"Let me put it this way, Farrior- would you be okay if your girlfriend was being held hostage and you couldn't do anything about it?" Alex snapped.

"Oh, right," Luke mumbled. "Don't go ninja on me."

Alex rolled his eyes. "I'm only a quarter Asian, Farrior. I'd appreciate it if you didn't make fun of me."

"Wouldn't that make your kids an eighth Asian and barely Native American?"

"_Farrior! _You are so lucky that I'm not driving!" Alex yelled.

"How do you and Fisher put up with that boy on a daily basis?" Alex Rider inquired.

"Oh, someone usually gets hurt by the end of the day," Alex joked. "Namely Farrior, of course."

"Yeah, he won't put up with my crap anymore," Luke complained. Alex decided that the guy was impossible and tuned him out.


	17. 16 Phone Call

(A/N: Alex and Alex are great, aren't they? :D. Anyway, enjoy!)

**16. Phone Call**

Carson was back to his normal self by the time morning came. The rest of the bottles were used on Austin- it had taken more for him for some reason. It couldn't be easy being the father of a criminal- or multiple criminals. But that was what they spent the morning doing- that, and trying to figure out what to do with the mysterious message that had been left overnight.

"Hello, Alex and Alex." His voice was velvety but deadly. "You two have something that I need. I'd appreciate it if you gave it back- if you want little Miss Rivercreek to live, that is. You have until two o'clock. You know where to go. I'll see you there."

"_Why_ can't we call the police?" Alex Meyer grumbled.

"I don't think that they'll be real happy to see us," Alex pointed out, heavily reminded of his fourth mission- which he had gone of on his own accord. "What can they do in two hours?"

"True." They were eating lunch- Carson and Luke were with their girls. "I bet that Vivie's hungry now... well, anyway, I'd like to know how he knows our names."

"Yeah, Vivie doesn't seem like the type to blab."

"Exactly... I bet he knows about Nessa..."

"That still doesn't explain how he knows our names."

"Maybe he heard us talking," Alex Meyer suggested.

"Yeah, we were talking kind of loudly... oh well."

"Do you think he's setting us up?"

"Well, we were going to go back anyway, weren't we?"

"True... but... well, I don't know. What do you think?"

"I guess that we better try... this happened to me once, and I got tricked..."

"Why can't we tell him that we already destroyed the tape?"

"Well, then he'd just kill Vivie, wouldn't he?" Alex pointed out. "Besides, I still don't know what message is in the tape... aw _man_," Alex complained. "I dropped it."

"The little gadget you were using?"

"Yeah... but I could have sworn that I put it back..." He almost swore but decided against it. That was what had started this mess in the first place, wasn't it?

"Do you think that he stole it?"

"It's a possibility..."

"We can always watch it with sunglasses on..."

"Yeah, if we can find the sunglasses that Farrior was wearing... do you know where he put them?"

"Who knows? Have you seen how trashed that his room is?"

"I have the feeling that I don't want to..."

"No, you really don't. At least Fisher fits it all into his closet. Farrior's got the biggest room and he _still_ needs all the floor space. You absolutely can't walk in there." To Alex's look, he added, "I used to have to share a bed with Farrior."

"Appropriately, I assume?"

"Rider! I have a girlfriend!"

"I know, I know, and I approve of you two being together."

"When did you decide to play the father in the relationship?"

"Oh, is that what I'm doing?" Alex innocently inquired. "I'd be honored to continue it."

"I'm kidding. You do know that, don't you?"

"Sure, let's go with that," Alex joked. "Let's try to find some sunglasses."

*************************************************************************

None of the stores had sunglasses- it was like they had disappeared overnight. Alex had tried calling the girls' house and Luke's cell phone, but nothing he did seemed to work. What a pain. After wondering around until they were hot and sweaty, they gave up on that and went to Andrew's house (or the weather station) and stared at the door. Alex spoke first- didn't he always?

"Are we going to ring the doorbell?"

"I prefer to break in," Alex Rider decided. "Do you have paper clips?"

"Do you know how to pick a lock?"

"Do you?"

"I'll do it," Alex hastily decided. It took him five tries to make it work, and he chucked the useless pieces into a trash can. They clanged softly before they settled. Alex didn't litter- it was a habit- and one that he didn't care to explain. Fortunately, Alex Rider didn't question him, and Alex left the door open, going in after Alex Rider.

"Smart move, Meyer."

"As long as he doesn't notice," Alex pointed out.

"You never know unless you try," he pointed out. Alex nodded, and they both stepped toward the back room.

"Rider, do you have the tape?"

"If your name is Alex Roderick Meyer, then that statement is affirmative. Don't you trust me?"

"Sorry, I'm just getting paranoid," Alex admitted. "Where do you think they are?"

"What makes you think that they're in the same room?"

"I don't know..."

"Well, you would be right," Alex Rider quipped.

"Rider! Quit doing that!"

"Shush, Meyer, let's try to be quiet, alright?"

"Oh man," Alex moaned, glancing into the room- the door was slightly ajar. "_Vivie_!"

"_Meyer_!"

"Right, right. Are we supposed to knock?"

"There's no need. I'm already here."

His very voice was identical to Aaron's- only worse. He was even more handsome somehow, but the evil aura that surrounded him was even more prominent. His facade was deeper- it was hard to see who he really was, as compared to Aaron, who had blatantly displayed his personality. But Aaron had been humane- he'd had a visible, human weakness. With Andrew, there was no trace of this. That was what made him even more frightening to Alex- because that made him all the more dangerous. The smile on his face was one that was assured, egotistical, malicious, and as if he knew what he was doing and he wasn't worried. He wouldn't be as easy to get rid of as Aaron had been- not that it _had_ been easy getting rid of him either. It was just that Andrew was so obviously worse that it was Alex's worst nightmares come alive for the third- and what he hoped was his final time.

Alex Rider, on the other hand, knew no fear but seemed to sense Alex's. He was the one who spoke.

"I believe that we have some business to attend to."

"Indeed- there is the girl. Why don't you two have seats?" There were no windows in the dark room. It was bigger than Alex had first thought- although the place looked small outside. It was probably unnatural- well, whatever. They both took seats, Alex in the middle. He saw their mistake when metal locked around his wrists. "Now where is my tape?" he hissed.

"If we give it to you, will you let us go?"

"You better have that tape, punk, or the girl gets it." Andrew's concentration was on Alex Rider. "Do you have it?" he asked dangerously.

"If you want it, you'll have to unlock me."

"Try anything funny, boy, and you're dead."

"Just let me out of this thing already!" he growled.

Andrew shrugged and pressed a button, releasing just his right hand. Alex Rider rummaged through his pocket, seeming to have a plan, and then threw the tape on the table. But Alex saw the unmistakable glint in Alex Rider's eyes and hoped that he knew what was doing- because Alex certainly didn't.


	18. 17 The Plan

**17. The Plan**

The cuff relocked itself around Alex's wrist, and he cursed under his breath so that neither of the other two heard him. This was just like it had been four years ago- and he had to outsmart someone again for the good of the world. He hoped that what he had prepared had been enough. For now, he had to wait this out.

"Did you really think that I would let you go, foolish ignorants?"

"Why do you use the plural? I only see one."

A jolt of pain shocked his left wrist, and Alex's eyes subconsciously widened. "I was not talking about me, MI6 agent and little Miss's boyfriend. I suggest shutting your mouth if you want to know how I am going to take over the world."

"And if we don't care?"

"Then sleep."

"What if I can't sleep in this position?"

Another jolt ran through Alex's arm. "I am sure that that will keep you awake- or I could always go with hypodermic syringes."

"Let's not." Alex enjoyed angering this man- from past experience, he knew the right buttons to push- and which ones not to. For now, he would leave him alone- he was curious to hear what the plan was since it was outside of his knowledge.

"Well, as I am sure you all know, I am the weatherman- a position that is not easy to get into in this town, compared to where I used to live- Littlebrook- I am sure you have heard of it." Alex Meyer winced at the sound of the other town's name. "But with my charm, I managed to woo the lady into allowing me to have the position. She was the first one that I put under the trance- a trance in which the one put under the spell will do as I instruct them. I am sure that you have figured out that there is one cure, but it is unavailable since I have the whole supply. But of course, I had subliminal messages inputted into the program and controlled the weather, just as Miss Little Rivercreek guessed. Of course, I didn't want to fall under my own spell-"

"Egotistical much?" The jolt ran through him again. The adrenaline shocks were actually keeping him awake. Alex grinned wryly.

"As you probably have also figured out, wearing sunglasses allows the viewer to still have their own mind after watching my show. Of course, most people don't wear sunglasses while watching television. You got lucky."

"Have you considered turning it around?"

"It's all about me, Alex. Which one are you- Rider or Meyer?" Wait, you're Rider, I worked with your uncle."

"Great- tell me something that I _don't_ know."

"He was my good friend- when I used to live near him, of course, until I murdered my parents and came here. I was like you too- a teenage assassin for Scorpia, who I work for now- although I understand that you were too chicken to kill."

"A man doesn't take another man's life if he really is a man," Alex snapped.

"I believe that I am above that." Another shock ran up Alex's arm. "I may not be the Antichrist, but I certainly am above mortal men. My plan, of course, is of genius quality and it cannot be foiled."

"Should we play the guessing game, or are you going to come right out and tell us?" Alex asked.

"Rider, do you _want_ us to get killed?"

"Hey, I'm still alive."

"I suggest that you listen to your friend over there- in case you don't know already, I am brutal and utterly ruthless. I do not have a lot of patience for stupid people."

Alex decided that enough was enough, grinned to himself, and sat back and pretended like he was actually listening.

*************************************************************************

Alex could tell that Alex Rider was trying to annoy Andrew, and he was doing it successfully, but he was getting a little sick of the wise-cracks. Yes, Alex Rider was smart. Yes, he was funny. Yes, it was hard for Alex to refrain from laughing at certain points. But there were lines to be drawn.

The connection between Ian Rider and Andrew had to be slightly disturbing for Alex Rider- and that he had been the complete opposite of him. His face might not show it, but Alex guessed that he had to be grateful now that he hadn't gotten stuck with Scorpia- as little as Alex knew about the organization. It couldn't be easy just glad that he had come out the way he had.

"Anyway, my mission statement is to get everyone in the town to be captured under my spell, and then destroy first everyone that is not going to cooperate, then basically take over the world. It is for my older brother's legacy. Since you guys did not let him take over the world, I had to step up and take his place. There will be no stopping me. They will destroy you as soon as I debut this to New York, Chicago, Phoenix, you name it- I will be a worldwide sensation soon. People will be eager to embrace me. They don't know any better. And since you three are too nosy to live, I am going to lock you guys up."

"Let me guess- a basement?" Alex sarcastically asked, remembering that Aaron had built his own basement and held people there as needed. Knowing how Aaron had worked, Alex guessed that this basement would only be bigger.

"I am like my brother, am I not?" he inquired softly. "Alex Meyer, correct? You and Miss Rivercreek can come with me. I will take care of Alex Rider."

"Are you going to kill him?"

"No, of course not. I'm just chaining you and the little lady up first."

"Vivie- you can call me Vivie," she bluntly stated as Andrew fastened handcuffs around her wrists and pulled her up. He did the same to Alex, then led them to the room from the day before and smashed a tile, shoving them down into the hole and then following after. He fastened Vivie's ankles to a wall as he reached for Alex and he couldn't help wondering if he was just as creative as his brother when it came to handcuffing.

"You two are in a relationship, correct?"

"It is as you say," Vivie confirmed.

"Good- even I am not that cruel." He disliked contractions- he didn't use them. Alex knew that much. Andrew dragged him, spun him roughly to face the wall, then attached each hand to handcuffs that were attached to a wall that Alex hadn't seen because it was so dark. Everything about the wall seemed adjustable- Andrew moved the wall further away from Alex, then dragged Vivie in front and locked her hands to the opposite wall. Alex and Vivie had never been so close. Fortunately, Alex hadn't grown too much- they could rest their heads on each other's shoulders. Their chests were actually touching- and Alex had full view of Vivie's green eyes. Okay, maybe this wouldn't be so bad- or at least, this was definitely bearable. Andrew seemed satisfied- he was gone pretty quickly.

"Alex?" Vivie breathed.

"Yeah?"

"At least Luke didn't come- imagine if Luke and I were handcuffed together."

"Oh boy," Alex chuckled, trying to imagine the disaster. "You and Farrior would probably mutilate each other."

"Well, I'm not going to pretend like this is actually comfortable- but if I had to be handcuffed like this to a guy, I'm glad it's you."

"Why, because I'm allowed to kiss you repeatedly?" Alex inquired, unable to quit from grinning at her. He knew that Vivie could handle the joke- they needed to relax a little, after all.

"It would make this a little more bearable for me."

"It doesn't involve any sacrifice on my part," Alex pointed out, placing his lips very close to hers. "Just one, okay?" he whispered quietly.

"Two."

"One."

"Three."

"What? Oh, fine." He closed his eyes and leaned in just a little bit more, and everything around him might as well have stopped- he was totally wrapped up in the moment.


	19. 18 Breaking Out

**18. Breaking Out**

"Urgh," Alex complained to himself, attempting to reach the handcuff without much success. He cursed- no one was going to yell at him for doing that now. He had managed to get a small amount of zit cream on his fingertips, and he was attempting very unsuccessfully to reach far enough to free himself. Unfortunately, his left hand was better at this than his right, but he didn't have much say in the matter. He'd learned to get the cream on his fingers before he got handcuffed- a lesson hard learned from his first mission.

If his hands had been cuffed in front of him, he could get this done with so much more ease. But his hands were behind him, and he had to feel his way around. He knew that Alex Meyer and Vivie had no way out- once again, it was all up to him. That realization was the only thing that let him have the fuel to keep going.

Finally, Alex managed to rotate his wrist (and almost break it) so that his finger touched the metal. Even though it hurt, he kept rubbing and working it until his right hand was free. After he squeezed out just a little more, he got his left hand free. He took a quick look around the room.

The door- which looked very like a set of bars- couldn't be opened from the inside. Alex paced the cell- he had never encountered anything like this before. That was the annoying part- his hands were free, but he was stuck. For some reason, a random idea hit him- could he climb the door and get out?

Alex grunted, flexed, and lifted himself upward, planting a foot onto a horizontal bar. He was about halfway up, but there weren't any more horizontal bars until he got to the top. There was plenty of room for him to climb over if he could just get over. He latched onto the vertical bar, mustered all his strength, and pushed downward to propel his body upwards. He slid his hands up as he managed to gain distance. The gap began to close, and he wrapped his feet around the bars, shaking his shoes off. Luke wouldn't miss them- Alex had seen his closet- and finding a pair of shoes that actually matched had taken him fifteen minutes. He just hoped that they didn't happen to be a favorite of his- Alex wasn't coming back here if he didn't have to put his feet allowed much better grip than the shoes did.

He held on tightly when he managed to grab hold of the bar, then flipped himself over as he released his grip on his feet. His body clanged against the metal and his hands seared with pain as he slid downwards. He rubbed his hands together, then took a look around the dark area. Where had he come in? Oh- the entrance was all the way on the other side of the room. He wondered what time it was and wondered if Alex Meyer had a watch. It was so strange having someone else to depend on. Alex wasn't sure if he quite liked it- but he didn't exactly dislike it. It was just hard worrying about two other people.

"Meyer? Vivie?" he inquired softly, tiptoeing past the rows of cells. So much for Texans not having basements- as far as he knew. Andrew must have built it himself. Apparently, so had Aaron Yzcheck- maybe the brothers were more alike than Alex knew. He should have asked Vivie and Alex Meyer more questions- but there wasn't much that he could do about it now.

"Rider?" Alex recognized Alex Meyer's voice easily now. "You got out?"

"I never said that it was easy, but yes, I did that. Are you and Vivie together?"

"Together? Rider, I'm not sure that you want to take a look."

"Why not? It can't be that bad… oh…"

"I told you," Alex Meyer reminded him. Alex nodded.

"It's a good thing that she's not chained like that with Luke," Alex remarked, knowing that this could become a very interesting conversation.

"You know about me and Luke?"

"Don't you mean 'Luke and me?'"

Vivie ignored that and glared at him. "Alex Roderick Meyer…"

"Oops."

*************************************************************************

"It's okay, Alex said the same thing," Vivie reassured Alex Rider. "I just… he didn't need to know that!"

"Vivie, you tense when you're stuck with Farrior. Rider did notice, so I told him."

"I wasn't mad, Alex." She rolled her eyes and glanced over at Alex Rider. "Zit cream?"

"Yeah…"

"How are you going to get out?"

"I'll make a way… I'm not sure if I can get you guys out, though, I don't have enough left." He checked the tube. "I'm going to make one of those things… do you have more paper clips, Meyer?"

"In my pockets… why?"

"If you guys have gum, it can take the place of rope and combine the metal…"

"A grappling hook?" Vivie helpfully suggested.

"That's it! I'll have to play around with this… I remember this one lady from my second mission that would come in really handy here…" Alex Rider checked the zit cream tube again. "You know what? I'm getting you two out." He began working on the door.

"Vivie, what are you doing?"

"I'm feeling a connection…"

"A connection? Like the one that you used to have with Aaron?"

"I don't know… it's more like I pressed this one on him than the other way around," she remarked.

"Interesting… try to figure out what he's thinking. I'll help Rider."

"What's the 'connection?'" Alex Rider inquired as he unlocked Vivie's handcuffs, which were closer to the door.

"Oh- it's like she can see into his mind, but he can also see into hers. They can speak to each other through their thoughts, and they can eavesdrop on each other unnoticed if they don't think while they're doing it. I think she's trying to get into it now- leave her alone."

"Sure." Alex Rider unlocked Alex, and he emptied out all his paper clips onto the ground and started connecting them together. Alex Rider, on the other hand, was applying zit cream to the metal bars.

"Do you really think that's going to work?" Alex asked uneasily.

"Come on, Meyer, don't you trust me?"

"Very funny, Rider. How are you going to bend the metal?"

"I guess that Vivie's going to help me…"

"Who said that I can't help you?" Alex indignantly asked.

"Are you a black belt too?"

"No, but Vivie's taught me some of the moves…"

"Well, you're better than nothing. Just make that chain first… oh yeah, could you get some gum?"

"Right. I've got some, don't worry." Alex grabbed the entire gum supply, glad that he had often jacked gum from people throughout middle and high school. "Ready to play tug of war?" Alex Rider had cut up three pieces of metal, and now he handed one over. By working together, the two guys managed to make crudely shaped "teeth." Alex Rider did more of the work, of course- Alex wasn't used to this kind of thing.

"Impressive, Meyer, I didn't expect you to do that."

"Hey, I'm not that weak!"

"You're not that strong either."

"Whatever… hey, Vivie, are you home?"

"Yeah- he's about to start the broadcast. Come on!"

Alex Rider and Alex worked together to get the make-shift grappling hook to catch on the tiles, and Vivie went up first (as agreed on by all three of them) so that they could, for lack of a better, less-cliché expression, save the world.


	20. 19 The Plug

**19. The Plug**

"What are we going to do?" Vivie inquired when they were all free. She jammed Tree Frog Bottles into her pockets, and the others followed suit.

"Let's pull the plug."

"Oh, I'd love to, but _which_ plug?" Alex Meyer demanded.

Alex Meyer certainly had a point- the room was a complicated mess of wires and none of them were exactly experts at this kind of thing. Suddenly, Alex realized something.

"Guys, do you have any idea where all the sunglasses are"

"I'll go look," Alex Meyer volunteered.

"Alex R, do you need me?"

"You can go with Meyer if you want to. Just try to make it fast."

"Thanks." Vivie shot Alex a thankful smile. They were all hidden behind a door. Now, Alex would have to venture in alone- and attempt to stop this.

*************************************************************************

Alex and Vivie checked the rooms on the left separately. Of course, they didn't turn any lights on, so Vivie was poking around in the room furthest away while Alex utilized his cell phone. The rooms were so messy that it was difficult for him to not be reminded of Aaron's house- and the brief time in which he had been held prisoner because Jane had set him up.

"Alex? I found two pairs."

"They're not all in one spot?"

"Well, I can't move this stupid thing."

Alex hurried over to her room and saw what she meant- a huge TV was on top of the box. Vivie had evidently found those two pairs on the ground. "Wow… here, let me help." Together, Alex and Vivie lifted the TV and put it on the floor. Sure enough, the entire box was filled with sunglasses. Vivie discarded the girly pink ones like they had burned her, and Alex chuckled to himself quietly- he knew that Vivie detested the color pink, despite claiming that it was the color that she looked best in. of course, he knew that her favorite color was purple. For right now, however, they'd be better off sticking with all black.

"Come on, Viv, let's go!"

"I hear ya."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

No matter what plug Alex pulled, the broadcast kept going. How many backup systems could a guy make? Alex guessed that Andrew certainly wasn't willing to take any chances. He yanked out yet another plug and refrained from letting out a sigh of frustration. Even though he didn't need to be, Andrew was in the room. But this really was starting to get annoying. Alex would have cursed again, but Alex Meyer and Vivie had arrived, and he didn't want to risk making Vivie blow up again. After all, he wasn't stupid- and certainly not _that_ stupid.

"Happy birthday, Rider."

"It's not my birthday!" Alex playfully snapped in a whisper. "Dang, why aren't any of these stupid plugs working? At this rate, I'm going to get myself electrocuted!"

"Trust me, Rider, it's not fun. I speak from personal experience." Alex Meyer made a face and flicked the hair out of his eyes. "Can a guy really have any more plugs?"

"You're telling me- I'm the one that's unplugging all of them. Help me, would you?"

"Right, sorry." Vivie had already gone to work, but she wasn't having much success either. There had to be at least twenty plugs.

"Crap," she muttered. "I think that I just gave us away."

"What makes you say that?"

"I just unplugged the coffee machine."

*************************************************************************

The broadcast continued, but Andrew was making his way over to the area. Alex Rider swore, then apologized and swallowed heavily. "I see the main plug."

"Where?" Alex asked.

"On the other side of the room."

"Okay, Vivie, do you want to help Rider?"

"Alex…"

"Yes or no?"

"Sure…"

"Rider, I'll take care of the plug. You and Vivie need to distract him, okay?"

They both nodded, and Alex scampered off, wires slapping his back as he crawled in the direction of the plug. He yanked things out, sparks flying as he went faster and faster. Vivie was re-plugging things behind him- a wall to block him from Andrew's view. He had to admire the genius of his new friends.

Alex could hear voices- no fighting yet- and tried to work faster. But there was only so much that one person could do. There were so many plugs a guy could unplug in a minute. How urgent was this? How long did he have?

The clock in the lower right hand corner told him that there were fifteen minutes. A "K" flashed on the screen. What word was Andrew spelling? Suddenly, it hit Alex- and told him what Andrew was going to do-

KILL.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"So you managed to get out," Andrew softly stated, his dark brown eyes steely as he studied Alex. Vivie had hidden- Alex could only guess why or where she was.

"Well, I _am_ in here. I can't be in two places at once."

"Can anyone?"

"Not the last time I checked."

"I do not care about the details. I want you to tell me where the other two are!"

"What other two? I see two other jerks…"

"Where?"

"Right here." This time, Alex started the fight and nailed him in the place where no guy wants to be nailed. Although Alex hit the mark, Andrew grabbed one of his wrists with a smirk and yanked. Alex instinctively kicked and hit him in the chest. He knew that he had gone too far when Andrew drew a gun from his pocket and attempted to steady it at Alex.

Alex tackled him to the ground in the middle of the room, where there was more space. But he was at the disadvantage here. Andrew could pull the trigger at any moment, but he wasn't stupid enough to randomly open fire. He could hit something of importance.

What was Alex Meyer doing? This whole distraction deal was _not_ working- Alex didn't need to get killed. He wrestled the gun away from Andrew, which extreme difficulty. He got to his feet and pointed it at Aaron, who chuckled that agitating, malicious laugh.

"You can't do it, can you, Alex?"

Alex's eyes subconsciously widened.

"You cannot kill me."

*************************************************************************

Alex heard the fight that was beginning to brew and worked faster. He heard the clatter of a gun and felt his heart's pace quicken. The extra adrenaline that flooded him lent him strength as he saw the letter "I" flash out of the corner of his eye. He worked faster. Suddenly, he broke free, and he crawled quickly through the dim room. He didn't notice the main plug until he ran right into it.

The plug was thin, but when he tugged on it, he couldn't make it work. The letter "L" flashed on the screen. He didn't have time. The second L would set everyone off. In panic, he pulled harder.

"Alex?"

"Vivie! Help me!" He hadn't noticed that she had followed him, was okay. He hadn't noticed that she had followed him, but that was okay. He needed her assistance.

"Is that it?"

"Yes! Hurry!"

Vivie and Alex quietly to three, and just as the screen turned black to flash the second "L," they pulled the plug.

(A/N: Heh, these characters are great... anyway, hope that it's enjoyable so far...)


	21. 20 Fight

**20. Fight**

Both of them noticed when the plug was pulled- the room fell silent. Alex's grip on the gun tightened. The veins in Andrew's neck bulged, his face began to turn red, and his jaw clenched. Alex couldn't resist speaking.

"Happy birthday!" he exclaimed brightly and planted a foot in Andrew's chest. Oh, the expressions that he could borrow- it was amazing. Speaking of friends…

Alex Meyer and Vivie jumped Andrew, and Alex realized their mistake- he could open fire now. He attempted to go to the plug as he shot. Alex dodged the first bullet and tried to grab Andrew while Vivie stole Alex Meyer's wallet.

"All of you three made it out, did you not? I see," Andrew taunted, aiming the gun at Alex again. Why couldn't he kill people? Wasn't killing Andrew the lesser of two evils?

"Do you need to go back to kindergarten and learn your numbers?"

"I learned all that way before that age," Andrew scoffed, grabbing Alex's neck and squeezing the soft flesh. Great, another reminder from his third mission. But this was worse. No matter how much Alex struggled, he couldn't break free. Wasn't it like that with him and the MI6? They strangled him, and no matter how much he tried to escape, he was trapped- only to be choked to death because of them in the end. What a lovely realization.

"Hey, Mr. Andrew sir, can I have your autograph?" When Alex's vision returned to him, he saw that Alex Meyer had thrown two reams of paper at Andrew, which had forced him to release Alex. He had to laugh at Alex Meyer's spontaneous wit. Vivie caught his eye and grinned, shaking her head. In the confusion, the gun had disappeared. Vivie was on the phone, and Alex assumed that she was calling for help.

Suddenly, Alex realized that there was a window in the room and smirked to himself. He hadn't boarded the window up- and Alex was starting to get an idea. But for now, he wanted to make sure that all three of them could get out of there alive. Why he wanted to keep living, he didn't know. But he definitely felt the urge somewhere within himself…

*************************************************************************

Alex certainly wouldn't mind of Alex Rider was the one that threw Andrew through the window. For one, he deserved it, and for another, Alex couldn't throw a five foot nine person to save his life. Alex decided to plan ahead, signaled to Alex Rider that he was leaving and would be right back, then ran back to the room of broken tiles (as he decided to appropriately name it) and climbed down the paper clip chain. Luckily, Alex had brought some of Luke's larger paper clips. He managed to not poke himself on the way down.

The musty smell of the basement hit him, and it was revolting. Alex decided against dealing with it and just grabbed what he came for- a pair of handcuffs. Now where were those keys? He'd seen some in the cell, and if he could figure out how to make it work… whatever, he didn't have time for this. He had to go.

Hoping fervently that Alex Rider still had enough zit cream, Alex threw the handcuffs upwards, but they fell back down again, almost hitting him on the head. Out of frustration, Alex hurled it as hard as he could, and a sense of satisfaction filled him when he heard the metal hit something. He managed to climb up a second time (once was definitely enough) and tripped in his exuberance, spraining his ankle for the third time in his life; he was clumsier than he thought. He retrieved the handcuffs easily- they had hit a Tree Frog bottle, which he quickly pocketed. He gripped the cold chain of the handcuffs and winced while he walked on the ankle. He couldn't waste time. He didn't want Alex Rider to die…

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Vivie was somehow managing to help Alex fight while talking to someone- Nessa, he assumed. Of course, the person on the other end knew that Vivie was busy. Andrew managed to knock the phone out of her hand once, but she had put it on speaker when that had happened (almost as if she had expected it) and had just grabbed it back again. Alex was stuck listening to Andrew's taunts.

"Come to the dark side, Alex. You know you want to."

"Sorry, the dark side doesn't have cookies like they claimed they did. You're a liar."

"I was not the one who put up that video!" Andrew snarled.

"When, then I'm not joining!"

"You will regret that."

"It's not like I haven't already tried the dark side."

"So whose side are you on, Alex?"

"No one owns me, you know. I'm in charge of myself.

"Yes, because everything magically makes sense at the age of eighteen."

"Rider!" A bottle sailed into the room, and Alex caught it- a Tree Frog bottle. That was when Alex decided that enough was enough and opened the bottle, dumping the contents out. Andrew was lying- he knew Alex's weakness, but he was lying. At that realization, Alex decided that now was the time. Alex Meyer's dark eyes seemed to agree with him.

*************************************************************************

It was almost like telepathy- at the very least, Alex was surprised that he and Alex Rider were thinking along the same lines. There had been undoubtedly terrible chemistry between the two at first, but now, they could have been brothers. It was uncanny and Alex wasn't sure how much he liked it- or Alex Rider, for one thing- but he definitely wasn't going to complain. He was going to help.

"Meyer, a little help lifting?" Alex Rider whispered as Andrew let out a cry of agony. The room was starting to smell pretty bad. Alex coughed, trying to breathe.

"I sprained my ankle… for the third time…"

"Are you okay?"

"As okay as I can be… what do you want me to do?"

"Shut the window… do you have another bottle?"

Alex pulled out more- he had jacked them earlier. "Go to town, Rider. I'll be right back."

Vivie had taken Alex's phone when he wasn't looking- but where was his wallet? When he asked, her eyes widened, and then she pointed at Andrew, who had it in his hand.

"I swear that guy has superpowers or something," Alex muttered, tackling Andrew from behind (ignoring the pain in his ankle) and stole back what belonged to him. A snake crawled out, and Alex dropped the wallet. Alex Rider handed him a bottle, and Alex dumped the contents of it out on the snake, which hissed and snapped at him. Where had it come from? Alex decided that he didn't care and stuffed it instinctively down Andrew's shirt. It served him right for stealing his stuff. The snake hadn't noticed when Alex had picked it up, and Alex guessed that that was the reason that he hadn't been bitten yet. When the snake didn't fall to the floor, Alex assumed that it had latched onto Andrew's skin and jammed the window shut just as Alex Rider picked him up.

"Meyer, are you okay?"

"I'm fine! If you're going to do it, hurry!"

Andrew flailed, and a hand smacked Alex in the face and sent him reeling backwards. When he touched a hand to his face, he discovered that he was bleeding. As he was thinking this, Alex Rider motioned to him. Alex helped him hold Andrew (he had to weigh at least a hundred and seventy pounds) and glanced at him. Alex managed to chain his wrists together first.

"One?"

"Two…"

"Three," they simultaneously murmured and hurled him out the window.

(A/N: I made a reference to "How to be emo" by nigahiga... heh heh...)


	22. 21 Aftermath

(A/N: Hope this is a good story so far... it's almost over...)

**21. Aftermath**

Alex took his sunglasses off- they were fairly lightly tinted- and glanced at Alex Meyer's bloody face. He opened the window and saw that Andrew was unconscious. Just in case, Alex lugged him back into the room. Alex Meyer sat down on a chair, wincing. Vivie handed him a towel as the door opened.

"Vivie? Alex… and other Alex? Are you guys okay?"

"I think we knocked him out," Alex called out, remembering the snake move and wondering if it was a fatal bite or not. But he wasn't going to be the one to check. Since nothing was slithering out, Alex decided that it had left or it had died from the impact.

When Nessa entered, she was obviously more concerned about the teenagers than if they had gotten Andrew. "Vivie… I'm so sorry."

Vivie shrugged, gazing strangely at her stepmother. "Sure, whatever. Just where _is_ everyone?"

"Right here." Luke, Angela, Carson, Lissy, and Austin entered, along with policemen who were giving Alex Meyer the eye. He was wiping his face with the towel, and he grinned sheepishly, excusing himself to go wash his face. Alex didn't blame him.

"Alex… Vivie… what happened?"

The room was quite a scene- there was some blood, Tree Frog bottles, discarded sunglasses, a bunch of plugs, tapes, a dead (or unconscious) body- he didn't blame Nessa for her question. It wasn't like the typical house scene at all. Alex grimaced. This could be fun sorting out.

"This is going to take some explaining," Vivie remarked.

"Why don't we show them the tape?" Alex suggested. "Where did you get the sunglasses?"

"I'll get more," Vivie volunteered. Alex shot her a grateful look as she left. Alex Meyer entered moments later, his face cleaned. He glanced down at Andrew tentatively.

"Is he dead?"

"I don't know," Alex admitted. "I'm not touching him."

"I'm good too. Someone else is more than welcome to do the honors."

One of the policemen checked while Vivie handed out sunglasses and Alex plugged the TV in. Luke, of course, was the one who had to ask.

"Why do we need to wear sunglasses again?"

"Weren't you paying attention? You're the one who figured it out."

Luke's hazel eyes widened in realization. "Oh, the subliminal messages…"

"And controlling the weather," Vivie interjected. "Nessa, I… he's just like Aaron."

"If he managed to finish showing that broadcast, we'd be dead- he put everyone under a trance if they watched him, and they were supposed to kill everyone else today. The subliminal messages were hidden throughout the program, and he'd influence the weather," Alex Meyer explained. "We unplugged it before the last L could show."

"Meyer, have they watched the weather channel?"

"Good point. Where's those Tree Frog bottles?"

"I got some," Vivie announced and distributed them. Not all of them had been affected, and the ones who had been were out for a while. That gave everyone time to catch up.

*************************************************************************

"He really chained you guys like that?" Luke asked, knowing about Aaron's habits and guessing that Andrew was the same way. Aaron had chained Angela to be sitting on Luke's lap once. That had definitely been strange.

"I can always tell Rider about you and Angela."

"That's fine with me- he already knows about you and Vivie."

"I saw it with my own eyes, Farrior," Alex Rider acknowledged. Luke's hazel eyes widened, and he put a hand over his mouth. Alex hit him on the head.

"You're not going to have any brain cells if you keep doing that, Farrior. Brain cells don't reproduce, and every time you act stupid, I hit you on the head, and since you act stupid on a very consistent basis-"

"Aw, shush, Meyer. What happened to your ankle?"

"I tripped… this place is a mess…"

"I'm sorry about everything, you guys. I should have realized what was going on sooner."

Alex Rider shrugged off Nessa's apology. "He, no one else ever bothered to apologize to me. You don't have to keep apologizing."

"Are you serious?" Lissy demanded, standing up. The last time Alex had seen Lissy this angry was when Nessa and Austin had announced their relationship. Nessa seemed to realize this too.

"Lissy, please calm down."

"You're not my mom! I don't have parents!" she shrieked. Carson grabbed her and firmly grasped her shoulders.

"E-Liz, whether you like it or not, Nessa's your legal guardian now. Look, she apologized. Can't you deal with it?"

Lissy shoved him away from her and opened the window, then jumped out and disappeared. Carson watched helplessly, then slumped over and buried his face in his hands. Alex's anger burned against Lissy. How could she do that to Carson, as angry as she was? But there was no reason for her to say those things to Carson. Carson wouldn't- couldn't- lie.

Maybe that was the reason for Lissy's anger- because she couldn't deny it. Anyone that knew Carson was aware of his integrity, and Lissy had known him forever. How did Carson deal with having to spend so much time with her?

Alex realized that that was a little harsh- and, in a twisted way, hypocritical. Vivie could be as difficult to deal with as Lissy, if not more so. But he loved Vivie like he loved no other in the world. That was the reason for it.

Alex had to wonder about Alex Rider- he was good-looking, after all. Was there a girl that he loved too but couldn't have? Alex could identify well with that feeling- being rejected. But he'd probably find someone soon- Alex had the feeling that he wouldn't be single long. He made a mental note to talk to him about it. For now, they needed to do something.

"I'll go get her." To Alex's surprise, Alex Rider and Luke had spoken at the same time- and the exact same words. They both glared at each other now- few people irked Luke, but Luke irked everyone- and they began bickering.

"Farrior, you screw up everything. I'll go."

"You don't even know Lissy!"

"Neither do you- you're always making out with Angela!"

"We don't make out _enough_," Angela complained under her breath. If she was kidding, her joke didn't help any of the tension in the room.

"Ange isn't the only person I care about, Rider. Where's _your_ girl, huh?"

"Because of the stupid problem in your stupid town, I'm stuck here and I can't see her!" Alex Rider seethed. Ooh, defensive. Alex knew that this was a touchy subject.

"Why don't you both go?" Alex asked before it could get worse. There was actually fire in Luke's eyes- and Alex couldn't remember the last time that he had seen Luke like that. He couldn't remember a single time at the moment. Maybe Luke, ironically, was more mature than Alex saw him.

"Fine," they both snapped. They then fought over who would leave first, and finally, Alex interfered again.

"Pick a number between twenty and forty!"

"Twenty-three," Luke sulkily decided.

"Twenty-three and a half."

Alex groaned. "It was thirty-four. Go, Rider." He did, and Luke followed. Alex watched them leave and sincerely hoped that they didn't murder each other doing this…


	23. 22 Explanations

(A/N: So, do Alex and Luke kill each other? Let's see...)

**22. Explanations**

Alex had no idea why he was doing this- with Luke, of all people. Something about the chemistry between Carson and Lissy just felt important to him- especially since Alex knew what kind of guy Carson was. He ran pretty quickly, but he hadn't counted on Luke being on the track team. Unfortunately, Alex's attempt to ditch Luke had been unsuccessful.

"Rider, that's not funny. Wait up."

What choice did Alex have? He reluctantly did as Luke said and sowed down. Luke was breaking into a sweat, and truthfully, so was Alex. He decided to walk like a normal person and quit trying to get away from Luke- the guy was impossible.

"Where do you think she went?"

"It's Lissy, Rider. She could be anywhere. Sometimes, she's actually worse than Vivie- and I definitely know Vivie pretty well."

Alex chuckled. "I can't believe that you and Vivie… that's just way too funny."

Luke scowled. "Yeah, says you."

"What was she thinking saying yes to you?"

"I don't know," Luke admitted. "It was right after her father's death and her mom told her that she wasn't allowed to date. Well, that happened to be when I asked her out, and even with me, she was willing to break her mother's rule. We never kissed, held hands, or even hugged- she wouldn't allow it, not that I wasn't willing to. She was the last girl I dated before Angela. Of course, the relationship didn't feel right, and she did break up with me- but we did learn a lot from that relationship. Even Vivie isn't perfect."

"Is anyone?" Alex rolled his eyes but was surprised by the new insight to Vivie. "Was Meyer around then?"

"Heck no- if he had been, I wouldn't have stood a chance." He chuckled and then his eyes widened. "There she is."

"Who, Lissy?"

"No, the Cookie Monster." Alex rolled his eyes. "Of course it's Lissy. We might have to hold her down, or she'll just run away again."

"You don't have a problem with touching your ex-girlfriend's sister and Fisher's girlfriend?"

"Just go with it, Rider."

For once, the guy was talking sense, and Alex nodded his agreement. Together, they mouthed the counts and then sprang forwards, Luke taking left and Alex taking right. She let out a piercing shriek, and both guys attempted to cover her mouth unsuccessfully. They both uncovered her mouth.

"What are you two doing?" she demanded. "And especially you two together… don't you guys hate each other?"

"We decided that Fisher is more important than our petty differences, so we called a truce," Luke explained.

"Lissy… you didn't see the look on his face. I did- and he just seemed so lost and broken. And all three of us know that Carson doesn't lie to anyone- especially not to you."

"What Rider said- and Lissy, Carson was always talking about you since we were this high," Luke added, indicating two feet off the ground. "Fisher and I were best friends, remember? Come on, Lissy, he still goes on and on about you at home. Listen to him, okay?"

"You and Fisher were best friends? You really are full of surprises today."

"Good to know- but yes, Fisher and I used to spend every waking moment together until Vivie broke up with me and things went downhill…"

Lissy chuckled, bringing them back to the scene. "Guys, I'm not breaking up with Carson. Chill. I overreact when I'm angry, okay? Nessa gets on my nerves. I'm sorry, but that's the truth."

"What is it about Nessa that you dislike, Lissy? I'm curious."

"She's… she's always too freaking happy, okay? And as if that's not enough, she ruined our entire family's lives! Losing parents and a sister and having the stepfather and stepmother from Hades is freaking messed up- and she's all a part of that!" she savagely seethed.

"Are you sure that you aren't blaming her for something outside of her control, Lissy, or do you just have to pin the blame on her?"

Alex had asked a good question- her blue eyes widened when she heard it- and suddenly, she broke free and ran in the direction of Andrew's house. Vivie and Lissy had had yet another sister? What was wrong with this world? He kind of knew, had experienced it, but to be honest, he was still utterly clueless…

*************************************************************************

"He's dead," the officer pronounced.

"Oh snap," Alex mumbled.

"What did you do to him, and what did he do to you?" he calmly inquired as Alex and Vivie sat across from him. Carson had excused himself, and Alex hoped that things would work out between him and Lissy.

"He caught me last night and locked me in the back room. I understand that he left a message on Luke's answering machine," Vivie stated.

"It also seems as if he tampered with the phone lines. We tried to call, but it didn't work. The time frame didn't allow us to get outside help. If we hadn't come, he would have shot Vivie- or worse. We also had to relinquish the tape, and then he chained us in the basement."

"How did you get out?"

"Zit cream." Lissy, Alex Rider, and Luke had arrived. Alex Rider pulled out the tube. "It's an MI6 invention."

"Impressive."

"You guys, where's Cars?" Lissy interjected.

"The bathroom," Vivie informed her.

"Thanks. Nessa, I need to talk to you later."

"Oh, sure," she distractedly decided. "Later."

At least Lissy had come back safely. They continued to explain- and Alex Rider jumped in.

"I got Meyer and Vivie out, and we made a grappling hook by cutting up metal bars with the zit cream, gum, and paper clips. That's how we got out of the basement- Andrew didn't bother to close the tiles. We then got sunglasses, and Vivie got on the phone…"

"He stole my wallet," Alex added.

"When he tried to get it back, there was a snake," Vivie continued.

"I instinctively reacted. Rider gave me a Tree Frog bottle, I emptied it out on the snake, and stuck it down Andrew's shirt." Alex wondered if that connection could be applied to an aspect of his life. He certainly understood the betrayal that Andrew must have felt. Alex could remember prime examples from his past that correlated to the picture very clearly in his mind- especially when it came to dealing with Jane while she was alive…

"Then Meyer and I got him handcuffed and threw him out the window. We guessed that that would knock him out… not kill him…"

"I sprained my ankle getting the handcuffs from the basement- that room is a mess," Alex added, smiling wryly. He was worse than Aaron and Vivie combined- and Vivie was actually pretty messy. "Hey, Viv, could you get me ice?"

"Sure." She got up, and Alex glanced at Alex Rider.

"Uh… I've killed people before… but not with my own hands."

"Was it the snake bit or getting thrown out the window?" Alex inquired.

"He was already in deteriorating health- as far as I can see- but we'll be doing testing. We'll call you about the results. I'd continue the questioning, but with Alex Rider here… that's rather unnecessary."

Vivie reentered, her eyes shut as she held the bag of ice out to Alex. "What is it?" he asked.

"I don't need to see my sister making out with her boyfriend," she grimaced. Alex grinned to himself despite the expression on her face. If that fight could work out okay, then surely so could this whole mess…


	24. 23 WebCam Chat

(A/N: There is hidden symbolism in the story... wonder if it's been noticed...)

**23. Web-Cam chat**

It was confirmed that the death had been a combination of the three things that had been mentioned the night before- and of course, Alex's involvement meant that everything was kept pretty simple. And speaking of his involvement, Alex had to talk to certain people later.

Using his Nintendo (which Andrew had stolen and Alex had found and taken back), he listened to Nessa and Lissy's conversation- they had gone over to Luke's house first to drop Carson and Luke off. Austin, Vivie, and Angela had taken the other car- Vivie had been eager to get home, and Alex didn't blame her. But the house was still intact after the conversation, and Alex assumed that Lissy had decided to keep her promise and try to stop blaming Nessa.

Now, Alex and Alex Meyer were back at Vivie's house, and since the other Alex was with Vivie, Alex knocked on the master bedroom door, looking for Nessa but getting Austin instead. He decided that it didn't matter and that he could carry a conversation with this man.

"Good morning… where's Nessa?"

"She's with Crisee again- I'm pretty sure that she's just putting her to bed. She'll be out soon."

"Oh, thanks."

"No problem. You know, Alex, I admire you for… well, playing the hero when you were reluctant to and you had absolutely no obligation. Nessa told me a little about you- enough for me to see how difficult it must have been for you to help my daughter by defying my son. I know many of my children have been criminals, and so I've adopted the ones that aren't on the dark side… I understand that you live with your housekeeper…?"

"Yeah, she went to visit someone in New York. I was going to go there too…"

"And then you ended up in the loony bin instead, didn't you? I'm sorry that they manipulated you like that, even if I had no part in it. Nessa really did try her best to stop it, you know… I hope that you won't be forced to do something like this again, even if I am grateful that you saved the world."

"Yeah, you're the only one."

"Well… is that why you need Nessa?"

"Yeah, I'm going to talk with the MI6 about doing whatever they want to with me. I'm sure that she can get us connected." He lowered his voice. "I kind of like spying. I'm not willing to give it up entirely, but I'll consider it as a part-time job as agreed on by me and the correct conditions. Compromise is the way to go."

Austin chuckled. "Alright. I'm… I've always felt guilty that the source of trouble has been because of my mistake. If I'd never done that, Angelina, Cerina, Nikkie, and so many others would have never died- at least, not through _my_ son. But there's nothing that I can do about it now. I just hope that you will forgive me…"

"It's not your fault. 'Like father like son' is a saying that shouldn't exist." That reminded Alex of how his father had been a spy- but Alex didn't really want to be like him. It was not safe to just assume things. "You are so different from your son- I can tell. Don't blame yourself."

Alex wasn't sure where the words came from, but he felt like he had to say it. He could tell that Austin felt terrible. In a way, the self-blame was rational- not that Alex was ever stuck doing that. He didn't mind shoving blame onto other people. But maybe he needed to understand things from a different point of view. Maybe he had to be careful about how angry he got at the people who had authority over him. Maybe he needed to deal with the cards that life had dealt him and compromise.

"Well, uh… thanks, Alex." He laughed quietly. "I'll see you soon. You might want to catch Nessa now."

"What about me?" Nessa asked, appearing suddenly behind Alex. She was one of the few people that could do that unnoticed. Oh well- he wasn't Superman, no matter what everyone else thought.

"I need to get in contact with Alan Blunt."

"I thought as much… will a web cam work?"

"That would be perfect. Where can I set up?"

"Just use my laptop- I already set it up for you. Crisee's not going to eavesdrop or anything, so you should be fine."

"Thanks," Alex called over his shoulder as he walked into the bedroom. Crisee's gray eyes blinked once at him sleepily, then slid shut. She had started this mess too, hadn't she? At least she was young- and it wasn't exactly her fault anyway. Alex decided to quit being philosophical and sent a nudge using MSN, then started a video chat. Blunt answered pretty quickly. Behind him, Alex saw the familiar building and felt a wave of homesickness for the first time. It was odd since he had changed homes so many times, but right now, he really wanted to go home.

"I'm eighteen now, Alan. You have no right to interfere in my personal life." Alex decided to call him by first name because he could- and he wanted to show what had changed. He would have to wing this- he hadn't thought ahead. But he had no choice- when did he have one?

"What can I say? Duty calls, and we need your help."

"You don't give me the freedom to decide! You could have told me about the mission, and I could have prepared better, but no, you caught me on the spot. I told you that I wanted to just go to school and live a normal life, but you don't see me as an equal. You just see me as someone that you can use and order around."

"Most school boys want to be spies. You're a spy that wants to be a schoolboy."

"No, I just want _some_ control over my life. I'm willing to go on missions- but not every one that you happen to throw at me. It's that or nothing. It's time for you to choose."

"It's not fair to Rider to use him indifferently." Alex Meyer and Vivie had entered. "He's great at what he does, but like he said, he's an adult now."

"I didn't like having those things pressed onto me either," Vivie quietly added. "Once it was over, I felt so free. I went to save the world of my own accord this time- and at first, Alex hated it, he absolutely hated it. But then he saw that if you had told him beforehand, he would have had a better attitude about it, and maybe he would have come, maybe he wouldn't. But he would have had a choice. If you don't allow that, you're going to slowly kill him, Mr. Blunt. Your indifference about Alex doesn't help- and you use him for yourself. It's time to let go."

"Friends of yours, Alex?"

"I'm Vivie- you know, the one that Alex was supposed to help."

"I'm Alex Meyer- Vivie's boyfriend. I probably haven't been mentioned, but he's been staying with me and a few other guys."

"Last night, when I ran after Lissy, it was because I cared about Carson. I want to do things because I care about people, not because you or some MI6 guy told me to. That's all I have to say about that."

"Well… I'll talk to you when you get back. Are you still going to New York?"

"I'm thinking about it," Alex admitted. "Why?"

"I'll pay for your ticket."

"Good, because I'm broke."

"Farrior could always lend you money," Alex Meyer pointed out.

"Yeah, but how would I pay him back? I'm planning on settling down for a while- and if something of interest comes along, I just might consider it."

"Can you leave tomorrow, Alex?"

"Tomorrow?"

"Do you have anymore business in Texas?"

"No, not really. Where's my luggage?"

"It has been sent ahead of you to where Miss Starbright is staying."

"Okay, then I'll see you when I get back."

"Yes, I will. Goodbye, Alex."

And then he was gone, like nothing more than a faded memory that flooded Alex with exhilaration that he hadn't felt in four years.


	25. 24 The Airport

**24. The Airport**

"Rider, if you don't get done soon, you're going to miss your flight!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming. I think that I've been stuck with Farrior for way too long now. I'm more than happy to leave."

"Very funny!" Luke hollered at him.

"Thanks, but you don't have to compliment me."

Alex rolled his eyes as Alex Rider appeared with the same backpack that he had arrived with. Of course, he was taking home a pair of Luke's shoes, but everything else was his. Luke and Alex Rider had become less hostile to each other after the whole incident with Lissy. Now, the two just tossed insults at each other without meaning it. Alex truthfully was going to miss their arguments.

"Before you go, Rider, would you like to admit to breaking the eighth commandment?"

"What eighth commandment?" Alex Rider mouthed.

"You know, the ten commandments from the Bible… number eight is 'do not steal.'"

Alex Rider gave him a look. "Let me guess- you told him?"

"Oh, come on- I couldn't resist. Besides, Farrior is dense, but not _that_ dense."

"Right. Sorry, Farrior! By the way, you need to clean up your room!"

"Yes, Mom."

"You're an adult now, Luke dear. Watch out."

"Eh, I don't act my age."

"I noticed."

"Okay, guys, let's go!" Alex bellowed, causing the other two to laugh. Carson appeared just as he was about to open the garage door.

"Rider… thanks."

"Same to you, Carson. You helped me figure out a lot of things."

"Cool. Well, have a good trip."

"I'm sure that I will. I'll be writing you guys."

"Good luck getting Farrior to read," Carson chuckled.

"Who said that I'm going to write to him?"

They all laughed, and Alex yanked the door open and playfully shoved Alex Rider out. "See you later! Farrior, it's your turn to cook!"

"Farrior, don't burn the house down!" Alex Rider chimed in.

"Can I flood it instead?"

"It's your house, remember?"

"It's my time, remember?" Alex interjected, shutting the door and rolling his eyes again. Those two were impossible. No wonder they weren't brothers- they'd be a handful.

"This is Farrior's car?"

"Yeah, it's really new." Alex grinned. "Angela loves it."

"I don't want to think about Angela and Farrior together," Alex Rider groaned. As he had come to appreciate Luke for his hidden maturity, he had also learned to be less hostile to Angela. They didn't talk much, but Alex could tell that he didn't dislike her as much anymore. What a summer.

"Yeah, two extroverted people should not be allowed to be together," Alex agreed, grinning. "Do you have a girl that you're interested in, Rider?" Alex Rider's eyes widened. "I know that it's none of my business, but I was just curious. You don't have to tell me."

"Well, I met this girl on my third mission, and she's kissed me." His cheeks held no trace of blush, but he seemed a little reluctant to admit it. "She moved to New York after my fourth mission, which she was with me on, and she's actually a year older than us. She's really pretty and all, but we haven't been able to exactly spend a lot of time together since I've been moving around so much…"

"Are you going to spend time with her now that you know that you can settle down a little?"

"Well, she knows that I'm a spy, and she's considering moving back to England…"

"Do you actually _like_ her?" Alex pressed, hoping that he wasn't prompting too hard.

"Well, I guess so…"

"Does she like you?"

"I don't know."

"Well, things between Vivie and me used to be really awkward for practically all of junior year, actually. Obviously, it was a little awkward when I was supposed to kill her and she was my only friend. I liked her for most of the second half of the year, especially after Jane screwed things up, but she was still really hurt when I made a really stupid mistake." Alex bristled as he remembered that. "I suggest that you give her time and talk to her. Don't let her get away from you."

"Why are we discussing this?"

"Because I wish that someone would have told me those things," Alex admitted.

"Meyer… what exactly was your stupid mistake?"

"Well… Jane changed her appearance and Vivie got jealous when she forced me to spend a lot of time with her. I still loved Vivie more- always had, always will- but she didn't see it that way, and so that killed our friendship. Jane obviously was found out and tried to kill me, but Lissy managed to stop her. Finally, I came to my senses and basically begged Vivie to take me back. In the end, it kind of made us closer than before- but it did hurt Vivie a lot. I really don't want you to make my mistakes, Rider. That's why I talked to you- that and the fact that you aren't the kind of guy that's going to stay single since you're one of the better guys out there."

"Same to you, Meyer."

They pulled up in the parking lot, and Alex stopped the car. "Did you know that I've never been out of state?"

"Have you even ever been to an airport?"

"To tell you the truth, no, I haven't. In fact, the only cities that I've been to are Littlebrook and Fillmore."

"You poor deprived child." Alex Rider seemed surprised to hear his confession. "Don't you ever dream of adventure?"

"That's what music is for- playing the violin takes me and other people to places that they've never been." Alex grinned. "I know that that's a surprising fact about me."

"Yeah, I guess so- but I can kind of see it…"

"It was the only thing that got me through my past with my sanity. My mom taught me the violin- thank goodness she did, or I'd be a mess."

"I might try sometime. Meanwhile, I think that I have to get home."

"Right." They got out of their respective car doors. "What time is it?"

"Time for you to get a watch."

"Cute." Both of them entered, and before they knew it, the time had come. Alex couldn't go beyond a certain point, and he once again broke the silence- for the final time.

"It was nice meeting you, Rider."

"Same to you, Meyer."

They shook hands, and Alex Rider breezed through the gate. He turned, waved once at Alex, who acknowledged it, and then he was gone.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The weather was great- Alex loved it. He sighed in pleasure, having barely made it in time. He made sure to pop a question to the flight attendant before he entered.

"Where is this flight going?"

"New York…" She gave him a strange look when a huge grin came to his face, and he managed to thank her before he got on the plane. He sat back on his seat (first class this time) and was more than glad to get a coke- he didn't like alcohol. After all, a spy- even a part-time spy- had to take care of his body.

As Alex reclined in the airplane seat and the plane took off, he decided that there was nothing better than summer holiday. Well, nothing except being able to do what he wanted to with his life, which included visiting Jack Starbright in Washington D.C.- and Sabina Pleasure, more importantly- whether it involved spy work or not…


	26. EPILOGUE

**Epilogue**

"Meyer, you have mail!"

"Who would write me?" Alex inquired as Luke tossed him a note.

"Alex Rider- he wrote Fisher too, but not me. Can I have his address? I want to blackmail him."

"No blackmailing, Farrior." Alex rolled his eyes.

"Fine- I'll get annoyed with him. Is that okay?"

"After I read the note."

"Good. Fisher!" Luke yelled, soon taking off. Alex grinned to himself. That kid never changed. He grabbed the note, opened the envelope messily (the only way to do it) and took out a typed note.

_Meyer,_

_I'm back home now- and Sabina is with me. We've been talking a lot- and I've been talking a lot- and I've been taking your advice. I'll probably be asking her out soon. A month's been enough time to wait._

_I apologize for not writing sooner- haven't had the time. New York was awesome, of course. I haven't been on any missions yet- and I'm not complaining. I've been able to do what I want- and it's thanks to you- so thanks._

_I hope that you had a good summer. You never told me your exact birthday, but you told me that it was sometime in August, so happy nineteenth. I know that long distance mail is cheesy, but I really don't care. I've kind of wanted a pen pal, so make sure that you tell me what's going on over there. (I'm writing Carson too- make sure that he writes me back.)_

_I'll let you know if anything over here changes, but for now, life is good. Thanks for contributing to it._

_Later,_

_Alex (Rider)_

_P.S. Tell Farrior that I haven't forgotten about him. If he has anything to say to me, tell him to write- and that he's absolutely not allowed to blackmail me. Do tell me when the wedding is- I might decide to come and make fun of him. Good times._

"Farrior, Rider told you that you can't blackmail him! When's the wedding going to be?"

"Ange and I haven't talked about it, but probably in two years after we've finished college… why?"

"Rider might be coming over then."

"He's more than welcome. Are you going to write him back?"

"Of course… Farrior?"

"Yeah?"

"How did he get our address?"

Luke's eyes widened, and then a smirk came to his face as he pointed to himself. Alex rolled his eyes. Some things never changed- but at least this summer had brought him a new friend- a friend that was so like and so different from him at the same time in the summer that he would call the summer when Alex met Alex.

(A/N: Okay, so not the best note/fanfic, but I enjoyed writing it and that's all that matters. It correlates to _Solid Ground_ on my fictionpress... but anyway, hope that this was a good story. L8r. JSM)


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